Grace Hopper's Accomplishments

The Grandmother of Software Who Never Looked Back Clocks dot the workplaces of people spanning the globe, and the vast majority of those clocks move perpetually clockwise. However, Grace Hopper, a naval computer engineer, owned a clock that was the exception. Her clock moved counterclockwise (Cushman B6) and was an expression of her gravitation towards creative change instead of always solving problems in the same way. Throughout her career, her personal conviction shone through as she shook up computing for the better. As a naval computer engineer, Hopper developed a dream goal of democratizing software to make computers accessible to everyone so that they could make their own impact on the world. She turned computers from the mystical tool …show more content…
The lessons Hopper’s father gave her inspired her to defy social norms. Additionally, her frustration with the lack of people who found their passion in programming and who could actually use a computer drove her to make computers usable by all. As a result of her accomplishments, Hopper advanced techniques in computer science, made computers able to be used in man different fields, and empowered others to change the world with the help of computers. In so many ways, Grace Hopper was ahead of her time, especially in being a woman that broke down gender barriers to create a lasting imprint on the field of computer science. As she said, “The only phrase I’ve ever disliked is, ‘Why, we’ve always done it that way’” (“Oldest Military Officer Retires” A18). Just like the backwards clock in her room, Grace Hopper moved against the time by defying the rigid rules of thought in the past and firing off a legacy that still lives on today. She inspired a new generation of engineers to move against their time and by doing so, make a radical impact on the world of