2008.05.11: May 11, 2008: Headlines: Figures: COS - Sierra Leone: Staff: Science: Space: Tuscaloosa News: Jemison says political leaders in the United States have made foolish decisions to spend more money on war and creating weapons than on education and feeding the hungry
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2008.05.11: May 11, 2008: Headlines: Figures: COS - Sierra Leone: Staff: Science: Space: Tuscaloosa News: Jemison says political leaders in the United States have made foolish decisions to spend more money on war and creating weapons than on education and feeding the hungry
Jemison says political leaders in the United States have made foolish decisions to spend more money on war and creating weapons than on education and feeding the hungry
'There's only one true need in this world,' Jemison said. 'How do we manage to survive as a species in the world, and not destroy it. Every day, I have to pay attention to how I affect the world and the decisions I make that can destroy it.' Astronaut Mae Jemison, the first Afro-American woman in space, served as a Peace Corps Medical Officer in Sierra Leone.
Jemison says political leaders in the United States have made foolish decisions to spend more money on war and creating weapons than on education and feeding the hungry
Astronaut tells grads to strive for greater good
By Jamon Smith Staff writer
Published: Sunday, May 11, 2008 at 3:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, May 10, 2008 at 11:41 p.m.
Caption: Staff photo | Michael E. Palmer
TUSCALOOSA | The 106 students who received their diplomas at Stillman College's 132nd commencement ceremony Saturday morning were told the possibilities for their potential are limitless.
They could even shoot for the stars.
The person who gave them that advice, Dr. Mae Jemison, should know. Jemison became the first black woman to go into space on Sept. 12, 1992.
Jemison, a native of Decatur, had many words of advice to share with graduates in her keynote address on Stillman's Sheppard Lawn.
Though the life lessons she shared were numerous and varied, their purpose was to exhort the graduates to maximize their opportunity to achieve a greater good.
'There's 86,400 seconds in each day. No matter what you decide to do with those seconds, you can't get them back, but the choices you make with them are infinite,' Jemison said.
Samuel Smelson, a 22-year-old native of West Blocton who received a bachelor's degree in fine arts from Stillman Saturday, said he wasted a lot of time when he first came to Stillman, but eventually he buckled down and made the best of his chance to receive a higher education.
'My experience at Stillman was great,' he said. 'I had a lot of growing up to do when I came here, and I did it. The biggest lesson I learned here was to stand on my own and not be dependent on anyone else.'
Jemison told graduates they are responsible for the choices they make in life, whether they are actions or inactions, so they should always carefully assess what they do.
'The challenge is not only what you become, but what the world becomes,' Jemison said. 'Who you become will have an impact on everything else.'
One thing Jemison said was of particular importance is to 'pay attention to fools and foolishness.'
'Don't hang with fools because they can effect how you see things in life.'
Jemison said political leaders in the United States have made foolish decisions to spend more money on war and creating weapons than on education and feeding the hungry.
'There's only one true need in this world,' Jemison said. 'How do we manage to survive as a species in the world, and not destroy it. Every day, I have to pay attention to how I affect the world and the decisions I make that can destroy it.'
'The science we decide to research and develop reflects our society,' she said.
'Do we use a blend of minerals to create a beautiful fireworks display, or to propel a bullet? It's really our choice. An ability to make a moral conscientious decision is a real challenge today.'
Jemison said she believes that the lack of integrity in the world today is because of how people think the world should work.
'We view the world as a zero-sum equation,' Jemison said. 'We feel that in order to get something for this side, we have to take away something from the other side.
'I believe we should demand that everyone get an equal sum of the equation,' she said referring to how much of wealth in the United States belongs to small percentage of the population.
Besides being the first black woman in space, Jemison was a general practitioner in Los Angeles, the Area Peace Corps medical officer for Sierra Leone and Liberia in West Africa, and the founder and president of two technology companies, BioSentient Corporation and The Jemison Group Inc.
Jemison attended Stanford University on a scholarship at 16 and graduated with a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering and a bachelor's degree in African and Afro-American studies. She later earned a doctorate in medicine at Cornell University Medical College.
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Headlines: May, 2008; Staff Member Mae Jemison; Figures; Peace Corps Sierra Leone; Directory of Sierra Leone RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Sierra Leone RPCVs; Staff; Science; Space
When this story was posted in July 2008, this was on the front page of PCOL:
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Story Source: Tuscaloosa News
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