Journalist and Award-Winning Meteorologist
Who is Cecilia Aragon?
When Cecilia Aragon was a little girl, her teacher looked at her and said, “Why are you working so hard in math? You should be getting a boyfriend.” Her teacher did not see her for her smartness or potential, so soon Cecilia did not see any of it either. As a first-generation Latina whose parents still had their thick accents, she was behind in reading groups. She loved math and science, but because of others beliefs, she began to believe she wasn’t smart enough for STEM. She didn’t believe in herself, so she dropped out of school.
It was a huge detour but eventually, it led her to her true passion — and into the air!
She overcame her fears and others expectations of her and learned how to fly! She became an aerobatic pilot, and began to apply the knowledge from that to her technical career. Today, she is a professor in the department of Human Centered Design and Engineering and a member of the eScience Institute at the University of Washington! She studies how people use data sets, using computer science and art. She may have had a different start, but she’s just as much a smart girl as anyone else!
3 Things We Love About Cecilia Aragon?
- She wants to inspire others to overcome fear and whatever is holding them back!
- President Obama gave her the honor of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.
- She is the co-founder of Latinas in Computing, encouraging more Latin-Americans to become involved in the STEM field.
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