Media That Inspires Me: Star Trek
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I was born in the small town of Mer Rouge, LA. Actually it’s not even a town, it’s a village. I consider it a village in decline now because the new generation of inhabitants are leaving in search of greener pastures and better opportunities. I can’t blame them though, I left too. But I spent much of my childhood there in the ’80s with my grandmother and at that time it was still very much a thriving place to be. It still wasn’t a place that was big enough to warrant the cable companies wiring us up for service and satellite television was prohibitally expensive at the time. So this left me with about 4 broadcast channels to watch and my imagination. And in hindsight this was the perfect mix for me and Mer Rouge was the perfect place to be.
At about age seven I saw my first episode of Star Trek. Like most trekkies I was blown away by the concepts and philosophies being presented. But at seven I was just so fascinated seeing a world that was totally different than my own. In Mer Rouge and the neighboring towns, I was surrounded by blue collar workers, teachers and school administrators, and a few doctors and lawyers here and there. Star Trek was my portal out of this world!
My grandmother and mom would only let me watch what I wanted on television on Saturdays. So all the other days I spent reading, studying, and dreaming that I was a Starfleet Officer like Uhura. But on Saturdays I sat in front of the television religiously waiting for the next episode of Star Trek. Uhura and the real life actress who played her, Nichelle Nichols, would prove to be constant sources of inspiration throughout my life.
It was at this very point in my life that I decided that I was going to pursue some type of science career. Originally I thought I would be a rocket scientist or some other type of space scientist. These were the only types of science fields that I had heard of at the time. But computer science won out.
I didn’t have my own computer at the time. They were expensive back then. But my mom was able to get hold of some computer manuals and programming books which I devoured. I quickly learned that not having a computer wasn’t a hindrance. I could study computers and write code without one. I think this actually helped me in the long run. I imagined myself kind of like Ada Lovelace and Charles Babbage working on the Analytical Engine. Couple this with the fact I’ve always been surrounded by people who’ve told me that absolutely anything is possible and I think you have a winning formula for any kind of success.
After I moved from Mer Rouge and grew older, I still continued to watch all the Star Trek spin offs with my favorite being a tie between The Next Generation and Voyager. I also continued to follow Nichelle Nichols’s career throughout my high school years. Again I learned that she was breaking ground working at NASA headquarters in Washington, DC as a recruiter for the space program. She actually recruited astronauts Guion Bluford and Sally Ride! She was also an inspiration for Mae Jemison entering the program.
I was again forced to rethink the bar I had set for myself. And indeed after that I did work for NASA in various capacities beginning in high school. Now I have moved on to other things, but I have absolutely no doubts or concerns about my success. That’s guaranteed. But I don’t think any of it would have been possible without those seeds that were planted so long ago by ideas and people that were so removed from my world–seeds that were nurtured by everyone that mattered in my life and seeds which continue to thrive in me and bear their fruit to this day.
KJ
[...] in my early years, I probably would have gotten lost in the cracks. But growing up in a very small village had its advantages and school was a very creative place for me. I know quite a few schools like [...]