“Not only was I going to school, raising a family, and working a full-time job, but I was also the state director for my sorority [and was responsible for] over 1,200 members at one time. And I think it comes down to perseverance. At the end of the day, you’re going to do what needs to be done if you truly want to get it done. You’re going to make the sacrifices that you need to make in order to be successful.
“I’m a night person. So my big homework hours were between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m. I made the time because it was important. And we all do that — we make the time for what’s important to us. I hear people say, ‘There’s no way I could have done that.’ Well, it’s easy when you truly want something with your whole heart.
“…When I actually defended my dissertation and my family was able to attend, that’s when it hit them. They were like, ‘You did all this while we were asleep? You did all this while we were on family vacation?’ I could feel the pride from them because for them, it seemed like it was seamless. But for me, it was heavy. It was heavy, but necessary.
“I believe in giving people their roses while they’re still here to collect them. A few years before I started my doctorate program, my mother had a medical issue and we thought we were going to lose her. And that was the point that I said, ‘I need to go to school and I need to do this for her, because I want her to see me walk across that stage.’
“[Getting my doctorate] made me sit up a little straighter. It’s made me smile a little bit more. It’s made me feel like I can do anything. Not many people can say that.
“…It is something that at the end of the day, no one could ever take away from me. Ever. No matter how much money I have in the bank, no matter where I live or if I have a roof over my head, no one can ever take that away.”
– Dr. Danielle May, Contract Specialist, NASA’s Langley Research Center
Image Credit: NASA/Mark Knopp
Interviewer: NASA/Thalia Patrinos