An early memory etched in my mind is that of my Mom spreading stacks of programming code printouts over the floor.
There was no Internet in the 80s, so hardcopies of code had to be brought home to be analyzed if a programmer wanted to put in hours after work.
There was an error somewhere in those hundreds of pages of Common Business-Oriented Language (COBOL) code and she had to find it before morning. As an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) computer programmer, she coded in COBOL to run batch processing of tax information. If you or your ancestors received an automated letter from the IRS between the 1970s and 1990s flagging a discrepancy or error in your tax forms, my Mom could have played a role. You could thank (or curse) her for her service.
I resented those piles of code. As I played with my Hot Wheels cars, I wanted my Mom to play along with me. My much older brothers had moved out the house and Mom had recently divorced my Dad, so it was just Mom and I. Her work blocked my fun.
Looking back, I have gained an appreciation for those stack of paper. The hours she spent looking at every line of code taught me a key skill: perseverance. When I was confronted with difficult problems as a chemical engineering student in undergrad, I remembered her. As a professional engineer, I followed her model by working late or over weekends to solve problems that needed complex solutions. She taught me to do whatever it took to get the job done. Also, witnessing my Mom overcome technical issues, despite being one of the few black programmers at the IRS, inspired me to enter the fields of engineering and technology. She was a true STEM superhero.
If you have a Mom with a STEM background, thank her TODAY for her influence in your life and for opening doors for the rest of us.
