by Megan Schiffres
The Boys & Girls Club of the Northern Neck (BGCNN) celebrated its 10th anniversary Thursday, October 25, with Reach for the Stars, a fundraising dinner.
The guest speaker was retired NASA mathematician, data analyst and aeronautical engineer Dr. Christine Mann Darden, a scientist whose contributions to her field were highlighted in the book Hidden Figures.
Dr. Darden, who spent 40 years working for NASA, was the first African American person to be promoted into the Senior Executive Service at Langley Research Center, the highest rank in the federal civil service.
She spoke about her love for mathematics, which developed at an early age, and how she struggled to advance in her field as a professional woman and person of color.
Before she was hired by NASA in 1967, she overcame numerous social and economic obstacles which might have prevented her from pursuing her dream, said Dr. Darden…