Legendary astronaut tours South African schools to inspire girls

Dr. Sian Proctor, 51, a renowned American astronaut and geology professor, is visiting South African schools to highlight the value of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education.

Her objective is to inspire students, especially girls and young women, to pursue careers in science.Proctor’s objective is to motivate students to pursue careers in science and prepare them for space-related occupations, according to Voices of America.

Proctor was the first female commercial spaceship pilot and first black commercial astronaut. Her incredible achievements have inspired people across the world.“As the founder and Chief Inspiration Astronaut of Space2inspire, I use art and media to promote a just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive space for all.“I share my unique journey and perspective through keynote speaking, mentoring, and educational media, inspiring audiences of various backgrounds and ages to pursue their dreams and reach for the stars,” she wrote on LinkedIn.

Talking to Space.com, Proctor shared that she has been in awe of space for her entire life and initially considered her dream of becoming an astronaut to be impossible.

“I have been chasing space my entire life! My dad was working at the NASA tracking station on Guam during the Apollo missions and I was born 8.5 months after Neil Armstrong took those famous first steps so I was a moon celebration baby! I grew up with all of this memorabilia to my dad, including the Neil Armstrong autograph where Neil thanked my dad for all the help that he did for Apollo 11, so in my earliest memories I loved military, aviation and military jets,” she was quoted as saying.

Proctor, despite her lifelong fascination with space, noted that as a child she rarely saw people who looked like her, particularly black women, in this field. “There were no women fighter pilots during that time or black female astronauts, but my dad just encouraged me and never told me those things,” she told the magazine.

Now a seasoned professional in the field, Proctor wants to show girls that the sky is the limit and they too can reach for the stars.

Story credit: IOL