Barnes excelled in the field of mathematics during her formative years and credits her early knowledge to her grandmother who continued to challenge her to solve complex problems. “I have loved mathematics and science ever since I was 3 years old and my grandma, who was a college math professor, saw that in comparison to my cousins, I had a natural aptitude for math,” said Barnes, who served as a NASA Goddard intern throughout high school. “Anytime I visited her in Jamaica or she visited us in Maryland I was excited to tell her about the newest concept I learned.”
computer engineering major, had similar aspirations from a young age. Odom is a recipient of the distinguished Cheatam- White scholarship which covers all four years with financial support for tuition, books, student fees and also provides students with a laptop. “I had always been interested in technology and my dad noticed I think like an engineer,” Odom expressed. “ I looked into engineering and connected to the problem-solving aspect of it as I’ve always loved puzzles. When I found engineering, computer engineering felt like the perfect fit.”
moment they accepted them. Each of the three, are members of the honors college where the average freshman’s GPA is a 4.23 and students are expected to take advantage of extraordinary opportunities, the pathway that connected them with the nationally competitive astronaut scholarship. “My goals and aspirations are the same as before I received the Astronaut Scholarship. I hope to be accepted into a DVM/Ph.D. program,” said Robinson. “I hope that once I am established in my career, I can turn around and give back to other African American students to inspire them to pursue a career in veterinary medicine and research.”
Her objective is similar to former physics student Ronald McNair’s who graduated in the 1987 class and is known worldwide as one of the first Black astronauts. He is credited for saying, “The true courage of space flight is not sitting aboard 6 million pounds of fire and thunder as one rockets away from this planet. True courage comes in enduring... persevering, the preparation and believing in oneself.”
A&T dubbed all three of these scholars exceptional from the
Her co-scholar, Maya Odom, a
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