Hey y'all, Maddie here.

So, remember learning, please excuse my dear Aunt Sally in math class?

Maybe.

But do you remember what it actually stands for?

Back when NASA engineer Deja Williams was first learning math,

memory devices like Dear Aunt Sally didn't really connect with her.

I mean, really though, who even is Sally?

And what did she do wrong?

Why are her nieces and her nephews making excuses?

Take responsibility for your own actions.

Sally?

Anyways, Deja eventually found another way to make math work for her

by combining it with her love of hip hop.

These days, grown-up Deja is working to make math more accessible to kids of color

using music and redefining what a NASA engineer looks like.

She's one of the amazing black scientists and engineers

who are highlighting on the show all this week.

Enjoy.

You're listening to shortwave from NPR.

Deja Williams does something very, very cool.

She's a quality engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab.

My job is to ensure the safety and the quality of everything that we build.

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