If you watched the movie "Hidden Figures," a movie based on NASA's first space launch and the African-American women behind it, one can conclude that women have made their mark even before in the fields of science. Today, one such woman comes to mind and that is Corlis Murray, senior Vice President and top engineer in Abbott, one of the leading healthcare providers in the world. Her story is one that will inspire both men and women who intend to blaze their own trails in STEM or Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

Corlis Murray began her journey at a young age. Although her desire was not fully understood by her family, they were still supportive of her endeavors. She loved mathematics and one of her early achievements was as a field engineer during her internship at IBM in her junior year. This was her turning point, when she realized what science and mathematics working together can do, USNews reported.

With her at the helm, she has developed a program for high school students at Abbott, with the purpose of helping them find their own potentials. Programs like "Project Lead the Way" were not available in her time, so she finds it her duty to be able to provide opportunities for the next generation. Some currently available programs also believe in starting earlier, with programs for the even younger kids, making it fun and interesting for them.

As science careers are more male-dominated, to break the gender gap, Corlis has this to say, "make it more personal." More people are needed for careers in STEM which is rapidly evolving in our current day and age. Companies should have talks at schools encouraging the students and showing them what working in STEM fields is like.

With women like Corlis Murray, women now have a voice in STEM fields.

Tags STEM education, Hidden Figures, African Americans