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America’s first black astronaut inspires Trumbull students
By Jordan Cohen
CHAMPION
Most of the 60 middle- and high-school students who were introduced to Guion Bluford Jr. on Wednesday at Kent State at Trumbull had probably never heard of him before his speech.
Chances are after listening to his presentation, they are not likely to forget him.
Bluford, 73, a former astronaut, became the first black American to travel in space in 1983 when he flew on the first of his four missions. The retired Air Force colonel, who has a doctor of philosophy degree in aerospace engineering, however, was there to talk about more than his adventures in space.
That he offered an inspirational message of possibilities and achievement was particularly appropriate given the makeup of the young people who came to hear him.
All are participants in Inspiring Minds, the Warren-based organization that emphasizes education, particularly for minority students, to set and achieve their life goals.
“You can be anything you want to be,” Bluford said. “Don’t cut yourself short, and don’t be afraid to take tough courses in school.”
Bluford encouraged the students to ignore those who might try to discourage them just as others attempted to do to him. “I found something I liked doing and I chased it,” he said.
Surprisingly, many of the high-school students’ questions to Bluford were focused on where he has been on the planet instead of his accomplishments beyond it.
Not so for the younger children, whose questions covered everything from weightless flight, eating and bathroom functions to the possibility of extraterrestrial aliens.
“I’ve never seen any aliens, and people always ask me about that,” Bluford said. “I’m still looking.”
Danajah Coleman, 15, a student at Warren G. Harding High School, said she could not believe she had been “talking to a real astronaut,” while her fellow Harding student, David Taylor, 16, said learning about Bluford’s place in history was a revelation.
“He’s such an inspiration to me,” Taylor said.
Deryck Toles, the founder and executive director of Inspiring Minds, said Bluford is committing financially to the program’s success.
“He has started scholarships for Inspiring Minds and for Kent State,” Toles said. “He is investing in it.”
During his presentation, Bluford, who lives in Westlake, near Cleveland, never talked about his achievements in a racial context, preferring instead to encourage his listeners to act on their dreams.
“Set the highest standards and the highest goals,” he said. “I found something I loved, and people paid me to do it.”