Jasmine Bowers breaks the record and has made history as the first-ever African American student to receive a doctorate degree in Computer Science from the University of Florida.
According to the recent reports, Bowers is now joining the ranks of other historic Black women in STEM such as Mary Jackson, NASA’s first Black female engineer, and Dr. Patrica Bath, the first Black woman to receive a medical patent.
“On July 15, I became the first black woman to defend a dissertation in computer science at UF,” Bowers said.
Bowers double majored in Math and Computer Science at Fort Valley State University and earned her masters at North Carolina A&T before receiving his doctorate.
“The seed of motivation was planted at a young age when my mother taught me how to use Excel to record my ‘wish list.’ I grew up in a household where I was encouraged to embrace technology,” Bowers told BOTWC.
Moreover, she also stated that she had the freedom to utilize technologies that included computers and other equipment that her mother, a [self-taught] engineer, had.
Furthermore, Bowers hopes to inspire other students and encourage their interest in STEM to occupy the reportedly lacking representation of Black people in the workplace.
“I will be moving to a new state and starting my career as an engineer where I get to put into practice all of my studies. I will continue to give back and encourage young girls to explore STEM,” she said.
