Aprille Ericsson-Jackson

Aprille Joy Ericsson (born April 1, 1963) is an American aerospace engineer who had served as the assistant secretary of defense for science and technology. Ericsson is the first African-American woman to receive a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Howard University and the first African-American woman to receive a Ph.D. in engineering at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC).

Quotes

• Read, read, read, and learn, learn, learn.
  • [1]
• My greatest challenge is climbing the ladder of success, and pulling others behind me," she said. "If you see a turtle sitting on top of a fence post, you know he had help getting there
  • [2]
• This downward spiral is especially severe for girls of color, girls with disabilities, girls living in poverty and girls who are learning English as a new language, The United States cannot afford to lose more than half of its talent and the fresh perspective that women and minorities can bring to these critical fields. We must work together across the boundaries of skin color and gender.
  • said Ericsson-Jackson in an interview with the Library of Congress.
• Communication is paramount to your success, You need to articulate how your great idea is impactful, whether to your community, society or economy. Having strong technical skills is critical, but you must also be able to work with others and communicate effectively to bring those ideas to life.
  • Ericsson emphasized the importance of developing well-rounded skills for students entering technical fields.