Jasmine Bowers has recently made history as the first-ever African American female student to receive a doctorate degree in Computer Science from the University of Florida.

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. She now joined 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.

Bowers is grateful for the support of her teachers, mentors, advisors, and friends throughout her study for many years. She is most especially thankful for her mother who guided her and pushed her to achieve more.

“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. “I also had the freedom to utilize technologies that included computers and other equipment that my mother, an [self-taught] engineer, had.”

In addition, Bowers hopes to inspire other students to be interested 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.