Mary Jackson

If given the option, would you ever take a pay cut if it meant learning something new? Mary Jackson reached the highest level of engineering possible, which meant a higher pay and status, but she willingly took a step down in order to accomplish something new. Why would she want to take a pay cut? Why, after working so hard to become an engineer, would she choose to do something else?
Jackson worked very hard to improve her personal life and the lives of others around her. Arnold Outlaw, a public speaker in Hampton, said, "She was a beloved community role model. She taught. She tutored. She mentored. She raised a family. She was a Girl Scout troop leader for more than 30 years. She opened her home to students from Hampton Institute who needed housing." Jackson, in an attempt to get some kids interested in science, helped the neighborhood …show more content…
She analyzed data from wind tunnel experiments and from aircraft on flight experiments conducted by NACA. While she was moving forward with her career, she noticed that many minorities and women were not advancing as fast she expected them to and she began analyzing the situation to figure out why they were being held back. She told these women that they should become engineers, and she did the same. She became to first female engineer. Jackson started at the bottom of the employment pyramid at NACA as a human computer, and through hard work and dedication, she arose to the top as an engineer. She was a black woman fighting for a chance in a field dominated by white men. She didn’t let herself get intimidated easily. Always moving forward, she continued on with success and reached the highest level of engineer with the highest pay she had ever had. She had a very high status, but chose to step down from her title as an engineer, and try something