#BlackGirlMagic: Meet The 22-Year-Old Female M.I.T. Student Who Works For NASA

You're always told when you follow your dreams that the sky is the limit... But for 22 year-old Tierra Guinn, she's looking far past the sky, reaching for the stars, soaring into space and beyond. In fact, her dream is one that brings the story of the recent hit film Hidden Figures into perspective for a younger generation of scientifically-inclined women of color.

Tierra, a 22 year-old black woman who will soon graduate with a 5.0 GPA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is currently a Rocket Structural Design and Analysis Engineer working for NASA. Wow, try saying that title fast three times! Her story has been making headlines nationally, and rightfully so, given her young age and remarkable resume.

The story of Kathryn Johnson, Dorothy Vaughn and Mary Jackson that has become the blockbuster movie Hidden Figures, is inspiring to black women interested in science and math. Mary, who was a NASA engineer portrayed by Janelle Monáe in the film, happens to reflects Tierra's interests and passion of becoming a aerospace engineer.

While all of this is amazing and so impressive, Tierra has had more than enough time to prep and figured out this would be her path very early. Her mother took quick notice, too, putting her gifts to work at the supermarket! She explained to WBRC:

"When [my mom and I] would go to the grocery store, she would get me to clip coupons [and] put it in my coupon organizer. By the time we got to the register, I’d have to calculate the exact total, including tax. And I did that since I was six-years-old. One day I saw a plane fly by and I just had this realization, ‘huh, I can design planes.' I’m going to be an aerospace engineer."

“You have to look forward to your dream and you can’t let anybody get in the way of it,” she continues. “No matter how tough it may be, no matter how many tears you might cry, you have to keep pushing. And you have to understand that nothing comes easy. Keeping your eyes on the prize, you can succeed.” 

Congratulations to Tierra for all that she's accomplished so far. Here's to more success in all that she does!