Amy Qualliotine, Outreach Associate

I remember how every day in elementary school we’d march down the hallway in our (mostly) single file line, keeping our heads facing forward and our hands (again, mostly) to ourselves.  When we rounded the corner between the gym and the main office there was a framed 8 x 10 portrait of Sally Ride hanging on the wall – nobody else, just Sally Ride.  I distinctly remember wondering what that woman with the serious hair-doo was doing up on the wall all by herself – I knew she wasn’t the president, she wasn’t our principal, and she wasn’t on Nickelodeon, so that pretty much left my eight-year-old self with no other options.  

I eventually learned about Sally Ride, and I continue to respect and draw inspiration from the incredible advancements she made as an American and as a woman.  Being the first American woman in space is an incredible accomplishment, but Sally Ride is so much more than that.  I can only speculate as to why Sally Ride’s was the lone picture up in our hallway, but I have a strong feeling these 10 reasons may be part of it.