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Mae C. Jemison

Dr. Mae C. Jemison worked as a General Practitioner in Los Angeles, California, before becoming a Peace Corps Medical Officer for Sierra Leone and Liberia in West Africa. After returning to the United States, Dr. Jemison applied and was selected by NASA as an astronaut candidate in 1987 and became the first African American woman in space.

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Mae C. Jemison

Jemison graduated high school at the age of 16 with a four-year National Achievement Scholarship.  At Stanford University, she earned a BS in chemical engineering and a BA in African and Afro-American studies.  After graduation, Jemison moved to New York to attend Cornell University Medical College and completed her doctorate degree in medicine in 1981.

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STS-47 Astronaut Mae C. Jemison mission participates in a training exercise at the Johnson Space Center.
STS-47 Astronaut Mae C. Jemison mission participates in a training exercise at the Johnson Space Center.
NASA
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Honoring African Americans in Space

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