3 Early Life and School

Elementary School

In elementary school, Mae loved learning. She was a curious and eager student. She often visited Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry to learn about astronomy. She read many advanced books about astronomy. She read books about Neil Armstrong and his landing on the moon and other famous astronauts, dinosaurs, and the stars and planets². She often asked her teachers lots of questions about space. Her teachers could see how smart and interested she was in science.

Mae was not just a bookworm, though. She also loved sports, dance and art. She enjoyed playing soccer, and running on the school track team. She learned that being active and healthy was important².

Middle School

When Mae was in middle school, her interest in science and space grew even stronger. She joined the science club. She spent extra time doing experiments and learning about space. Mae also continued to learn how to dance. She loved expressing herself through dance and became really good at it. Her favorite types of dances included ballet, modern dance, jazz, African, and Japanese dance. At one time, she thought she would become a professional dancer.

Another special thing about Mae is, while in middle school she skipped a grade. She went from sixth grade to eight grade. She did not need to go to seventh grade. This means she was so good at her studies that she moved ahead faster than other kids her age. This showed how dedicated she was to learning and reaching her dreams³.

High School

Mae went to Morgan Park High School. High school was a big step for Mae. She still loved learning and she joined the science and math clubs and spent many hours studying and doing experiments. She also didn’t stop dancing. She became a cheerleader in high school. She loved being active and healthy. She was focused on making her dreams come true.

In 1973, Mae graduated with honors when she was only sixteen years old. She finished high school earlier than most kids.

Mae was a bright student. Her journey from elementary to high school was filled with learning, sports, dancing, and hard work. She was applied and was accepted into Stanford University in California and received the National Achievement Scholarship. This meant she could go to university for free³.