March is Women’s History Month and we’ve got a rich history right here in our own Carolina backyard.

From Monroe, North Carolina to one of NASA’s hidden figures, Dr. Christine Darden broke barriers in the stem industry, forging a path for many women to follow.

Born in 1942 in Monroe, Darden attended Winchester Avenue School before transferring to Allen High School in Asheville. It was there that she discovered her love of geometry.

Darden's journey opened doors for so many at NASA and she's still making an impact to this day.

“My job today is to create an environment so amazing people can do amazing things," Darden said.

Clayton Turner loves his job as Director of NASA’s Langley Research Center. The first African American to hold that title. But he says he wouldn’t have it without four Black women known as “The Hidden Figures.”

“When we talk about seeing Christine and seeing Mary Jackson and seeing Dorothy Vaughan, and Katherine Johnson, it’s about seeing see others doing it and how they did it," Turner said.

Hidden Figures, the movie, was released in 2017. It tells the story of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson, who were mathematicians working at NASA.

Their roles were instrumental in one of the greatest space operations in U. S. history, launching Astronaut John Glenn into orbit.

The movie, however, was based on the book, where Darden’s story was told.

“When I was first hired at NASA, I was hired as a computer, so that’s why I ended up in the Hidden Figures book,” Darden said.

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