Early Life
Mae Carol Jemison was born on October 17, 1956 in Decatur, Alabama. She was the youngest child of Charlie Jemison and Dorthy (Green) Jemison. One of Mae's two older siblings was Ada Jemison who later married someone with the last name of Bullock. She became a child psychiatrist. She had a brother named Charles Jemison who later became a real estate agent. Mae believes she has a stronger connection with Chicago, Illinois, where she moved at three years old because of the better schools there. She calls Chicago her hometown and not Decatur.
Decatur, Alabama Chicago, Illinois Mae as an older child
Early Education
Mae C Jemison was a very intelligent child from elementary school to college graduation. Her parents were very supportive of her talents and abilities. One of these talents included dancing. She took many dance lessons and did a fabulous job dancing. She was very successful at Morgan Park High School south of downtown Chicago. At that high school, she decided she either wanted to be a doctor or a professional dancer. She decided to go on to the medical field. At the very young age of 16, she received a scholarship to Stanford University south of San Francisco, California in Silicon Valley.
Morgan Park High School Mae dancing
College Years
As mentioned above, Jemison received a scholarship to Stanford University at the age of 16. Even though she was young, she had a pretty active social life at Stanford. Her extra-curricular activities included dance and theater productions. She also leaded the Black Student Union at Stanford. The Black Student Union or BSU helps African-American students feel welcome and gives them a social life. She managed to receive a Bachelor degree for Chemical Engineering upon graduating at Stanford in 1977. Mae also received a degree in Afro-American studies. She continued to go to medical school at Cornell University in upstate New York. At Cornell, she took a few courses in Cuba and Kenya. She also did some work at a Cambodian Refugee camp in Thailand. She graduated from Cornell in 1981 and became a practitioner in Los Angeles, California.
Stanford University Cornell University Cambodian Refugee camp in Thailand similar to the one Mae worked at