Dorothy Vaughan

Hello there. My name is Dorothy Vaughan, and I want to tell you my story. I was born on September 20th, 1910. When I was a young girl, I absolutely loved math. To me, numbers weren't just for counting—they were part of a giant, exciting puzzle waiting to be solved. I enjoyed it so much that I went to college to study it. After I graduated, I became a math teacher because I wanted to help children see how fun and powerful numbers could be, just like I did.

In 1943, during a very busy time in our country's history, I started a new and important job. I went to work at a place called NACA, which many years later became known as NASA, the famous space agency. My job title was a special one: I was a "human computer." That meant my brain was the computer. My job was to use my math skills to solve very hard problems for the engineers who were designing new airplanes. I worked with a wonderful group of smart African American women, and we were a great team. In 1949, I was given a very important role. I became a supervisor, which meant I was the leader of my group. I was the very first Black supervisor at NACA, and I made sure that every woman on my team was treated with fairness and respect.

One day, something new and amazing arrived at our workplace: giant electronic computers. They were huge machines that could solve math problems much faster than a person could. I knew right away that these computers were going to change everything about our jobs. Instead of being worried, I got excited to learn. I studied a new computer language called FORTRAN. Once I understood it, I taught it to all the women in my group. We were getting ready for the future. By learning how to work with these new machines, we were preparing to help send the very first astronauts into space.

I worked at NACA, and then NASA, for many years until I retired in 1971. I lived to be 98 years old. Today, people remember me and the other incredible women I worked with. Our story was even given a special name: "Hidden Figures," because for a long time, not many people knew about our important work. We helped America explore the stars. I hope my story shows you that learning new things is a superpower that can help you and everyone around you achieve amazing things.