A Lil Positivity: Meet Mareena Robinson Snowden, 1st Black Woman With Nuclear Engineering PhD From MIT

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Meet The First Black Woman With A Nuclear Engineer PhD From MIT

Mareena Robinson Snowden’s graduation photo is going viral months after she posted it up — and it’s because she made history.

Social media is praising the young woman for earning her PhD from MIT and being the first Black woman to ever do it. Mareena made her IG followers aware of her historical achievement back in June with the following message.

First black woman to earn a PhD from MIT in Nuclear Engineering **insert praise break here*
No one can tell me God isn’t. Grateful is the best word I have to describe how I feel. Grateful for every part of this experience – highs and lows. Every person who supported me and those who didn’t. Grateful for a praying family, a husband who took on this challenge as his own, sisters who reminded me at every stage how powerful I am, friends who inspired me to fight harder. Grateful for the professors who fought for and against me. Every experience on this journey was necessary, and I’m better for it.
When they ask where the skilled black female technical minds are, know there are many – @joymariejohnson, @_sai_89, @rhondalenai, @being_niaja, @jtiaphd, @siangoan, April Gillens, @beyoncizzle, Tiera Fletcher, Ciara Sivels, Grey Batie, @tashaleeb, @special_kay868, Staci Brown, Njema Fraizer, @jedidahislerphd, Delonia Wiggins, Jami Valentine Miller and many more – who show up proudly in the fullness of their black womanhood and fight each day for our place in these fields.
I’m grateful to be in this number, and happy to have proved the principle in my own department.

Doesn’t this sound like something out of Hidden Figures??? Well, it is! Almost. Snowden told CNBC that a photo of Kathrine Johnson kept her motivated to keep pushing, after being the only Black women in her program.

“I had a picture of Katherine Johnson on my wall right after ‘Hidden Figures’ came out, because she was a model for me,” says Snowden. “People ask me all the time, ‘Who’s your role model?’ and you know, you pick and choose from different places. And it was like now, I have a tangible woman. I have Katherine Johnson, who was a mathematician and a black woman killing it.”

Inspiring sista! Hit the flip for more of her wonderful grad photos.