“Leadership tomorrow depends on how we educate our students—­especially
in science, technology, engineering, and math.”
—­President Barack Obama, September  16, 2010
(U.S. Department of Education, 2014)
As a first-­generation college student, a ­ woman of color, and the ­ daughter of two
factory workers who had no more than eighth-­grade educations (not from lack of
intelligence but from lack of opportunity), I faced a myriad of obstacles through-
out my academic journey, including a lack of educators with whom I could discuss
pos­si­ble ­ career options.
My parents always said, “The only inheritance a poor ­family can leave their ­
children is a good education,” and they wielded the power of that profound truth,
which almost sounds poetic in Spanish, to light a fire ­under all seven of their ­
children. When my ­father died when I was 12, my ­mother courageously carried
the torch, using her job working in the Brooklyn factories to not only provide for
us, but also ensure we understood the power of education could propel us to ­ careers
outside ­ those factories and, in turn, manifest better lives for ourselves and our ­future
families.
My teachers in elementary school, while providing me a very solid educational
foundation, never discussed the possibilities of a ­career in science, technology, engi-
neering, or math (STEM). As I marveled on the accomplishments of science, such
as the first person walking on the moon, it was clear to me that ­ those ­ careers ­ weren’t
for ­ people who looked like me or came from extreme poverty. So, as I read this book,
it took me back to ­ those early days of my life, prompting me to won­der what a dif-
ference this book could have possibly made in my own ­career choices.
Foreword
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