         
|
|
||
|
1st appeared
23
January 2001
Astronaut Urges "Remember
Past as We Reach for Future"
Yvonne Cagle was infected with the space bug at an early age. She was 5 years old and playing hide-and- seek with neighborhood friends, when her father called her into the house to watch Neil Armstrong's walk on the moon. Cagle, who was UCSF's special guest for Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Week, recounted to SF public school students visiting the campus last Wednesday how she stared at the television in awe to witness the historic 1969 event. Cagle described how she immediately ran outside to see if she could see the man on the moon from her front yard. And she tried to imagine Armstrong’s view of earth from the moon. It was a sight, she decided, that she had to see for herself. Twenty years later, the Novato native had become a certified flight surgeon and involved in a variety of aeromedical missions. In 1996, she was selected a NASA astronaut and reported to her new home -- the Johnson Space Center in Houston. "She is living truth that the dream is still alive," said Millie Hughes-Fulford, a former space shuttle astronaut and a UCSF faculty member for 28 years, who introduced Cagle to the students. And later, in her MLK Week keynote address to a Cole Hall audience, which included the San Francisco youngsters, Cagle discussed her own dream and path towards success in context of the journey African-Americans must endure in pursuit of their goals. Her speech revolved around a single theme of African-Americans embracing their past to gain guidance and confidence as they seek out their futures. Although she decided a career pursuit at a young age, Cagle realized despair early on as well. Cagle’s discouragement related to the obstacles that stood in her way as both an African-American and a woman. She did "society’s math" and realized the odds of acquiring the education and promotions required to become an astronaut were next to impossible. Cagle found comfort, however, in the fact that space and earth were separate entities. She convinced herself that since space stood outside society, the same laws and rules did not govern it. This theory allowed Cagle to think outside the box, while providing justification towards pursuing her life-long dream. Cagle said that this "leap of faith," however, tells only half the story of her burgeoning confidence. The other half pertains to her exhaustive study of African-American history. She discovered that African-American had extensive backgrounds in both mathematics and science, and her interest in these fields was not unprecedented. This gave her a sense of security; a feeling that she would not be making a long journey alone. Cagle showed a brief NASA-produced video that demonstrated the role astrology, geometry, and natural sciences played in the Underground Railroad’s success. It explained how escaped slaves relied on stars to guide them North, which required a deep understanding of constellations. It showed how they used geometry in constructing rudimentary railroad maps and to design quilts, which they used as a secret means of communication. Lastly, the video demonstrated the slaves’ knowledge of horticulture, which allowed them to heal themselves with plants and herbs as they traveled. Cagle added that the slaves’ long journey North with limited resources parallels efforts by NASA, as the space program is constantly engaged in scientific research aimed at finding ways to survive in outer space for extended periods of time. In closing, Cagle cautioned the audience, especially the young listeners, to avoid negative influences that will impede their goals. She dared them to stand alone, even if that required spending countless hours with their noses in textbooks, while their peers were out partying. Finally, she encouraged them to be persistent in their quest for achievement, as she told them, "the loss is not in being last, but in being left behind." PART II: Yvonne Cagle's Session with Students Source: Jesse Westbrook, News Services, and Lisa Cisneros, Newsbreak Editor |
|||
|
DAYBREAK | ARCHIVES | CALENDAR
| CAMPUS NOTES Copyright ©2000 Regents
of the University of California. All rights reserved. |
|||
