“My daughter just thinks that all moms fly the Space Shuttle.”

–Eileen Collins

Nationally and internationally, the number of women pursuing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields have been lower compared to their male counterparts. Today in 1995, Eileen Collins became the female to pilot the Space Shuttle after taking off from Florida, USA at the Kennedy Space Center. In sociological circles, there has been talk of a “glass ceiling” which prevents individuals from advancing in their partaken field. However, anniversaries of events such as Ms. Collins’ feat should remind everyone that it is possible to advance and to break the ceiling if one works hard enough. Moreover, in order to bring her legitimacy to the field, Ms. Collins attained an MSc in Operations Research from Stanford University in 1986. This act and Ms. Collins’ feat should be testament to the fact that women can attain any goal, if they persevere and be deviant from social attitudes which may hinder them from their ambitions, especially in the STEM field.