As today is International Women’s Day, I’m writing a profile of extraordinary women who have made an impact on our society. When we think of “impact,” we tend to think of fame, or how well known the person was. However, I think it’s possible to have an impact without being super well known; hence, for this post, I’ll be sharing the stories of one well known woman and one lesser known woman who had an extraordinary impact on society. Without further ado, let’s get started!
(Quick Note: These stories are not necessarily a biography, but rather a compilation of interesting facts meant to highlight the admirable traits of these women).
Katherine Johnson
Katherine Johnson was a pioneering mathematician and one of the first African-American women to work at NASA. Her orbital mechanics calculations were crucial to the success of US spaceflights. For a more detailed biography, see this profile from NASA.
Personally, what stands out about Katherine Johnson is her attitude. Even though she faced obstacles and discrimination through segregation (especially at NASA), she abided by this saying her father taught her: “You are no better than anyone else, and no one is better than you.” Despite being told that she was less than everyone else around her, Johnson proved that she was just like everyone else at NASA: a person who aspired to contribute to the US space program. She was assertive and curious, consistently questioning her colleagues and asking to be included in important meetings.
Further, Johnson exhibited traits of persistence and hard work as a young adult. She graduated from college at the age of eighteen, in credit to her affinity for numbers. As an undergrad at the recently integrated West Virginia State College, she took all the math classes available, causing African-American professor Dr. William W. Schieffelin Claytor to design a course on the geometry of space specifically for her. This comes to show how Johnson had a vision of success early on: she wanted to explore the world of math, and would do her best to do that despite the obstacles. As a teen planning out what I want to do in the future, this mindset is inspiring.
This vision and perseverance caused Johnson to apply for the “computer” job (a program that hired women to do complex calculations for low-wages) at NASA, then known as the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, a second time. When Johnson applied the first time, there were no spots available for her; a year later, she applied and was accepted.
Fe del Mundo
Now on to our first lesser known women: Fe del Mundo. A Filipina pediatrician, she founded the first pediatric hospital in the Philippines and helped shape the child health care system in that country. For a more detailed biography, check out this article.
What stands out about Fe del Mundo is her genuine desire to help others – particularly the children in her own country. In fact, a notable quote from her is: “I told the Americans who wanted me to stay that I prefer to go home and help the children. I know that with my training for five years at Harvard and different medical institutions in America, I can do so much.” This passion was inspired by a tragic childhood experience; the death of Mundo’s sister from appendicitis inspired her to become a doctor for the poor. This drive must have stayed with her throughout the rest of her life, as Mundo continued her work in pediatrics through her nineties.
Furthermore, Fe del Mundo was interdisciplinary. Her work spans the fields of policy, healthcare, and innovation. While reforming pediatric healthcare in the Philippines, she is credited with the research studies leading to the incubator and jaundice. This mindset allowed her to make healthcare more accessible to rural areas. To help infants, she designed a makeshift bamboo incubator that utilized two wicker laundry baskets of varying sizes. She placed hot water bottles in the space between the baskets to regulate the temperature of the infants and added a hood and oxygen.
Personally, I’m inspired by Mundo’s grit and initiative. During World War II (and under Japanese occupation) Mundo established a medical facility at what is now the Holy Spirit College from 1942 to 1944. This was only the first step in Mundo’s journey to make healthcare more accessible. Later, she established the first pediatric hospital in the Philippines known as the Children’s Medical Center. Through donations, a government loan, and the sale of her own possessions, Del Mundo launched this one hundred bed facility; later, in 1966, she established the Institute of Maternal and Child Health – the first in Asia. As she had to sell her home to fund the hospital, Mundo resided on the second floor – where she continued to work well into her wheelchair bound years. Fe del Mundo’s unwavering commitment, especially in the context of the hurdles she faced, is something that I aspire to live up to.
And that’s part 1! For the next couple of weeks, I’ll be posting some stories of well-known and lesser-known women for women’s history month. If you have any suggestions for who I should profile, please leave them in the comments below 🙂
Also, before I close out, here’s something to think about: Even though we have Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, the global fight for gender equality continues in all the other months of the year as well.
