I spent my lunch break making this. It was surprisingly the reminder I needed to keep going despite how hard things have been lately. I hope it encourages someone. You can overcome πͺπΎ (nothings wrong w a 3.4 GPA - I was just told it was too low for grad school and yet here I am!)
After 4 long years & at 21 years old, Iβm ready to graduate with my bachelors in aerospace engineering, concentration in astronautics and minor in computational mathematics. May 6th, Iβm coming for you! To God be the Glory.
Iβm shaking. Lil ole me is a NASA Space Technology Research Fellow. Last year I didnβt even apply because I just knew there was no way I could get it. Crazy things happen when you take a small step of faith! My God is absolutely incredible.
I am a BLACK WOMAN. I donβt matter because I build. I donβt matter because Iβm strong. I donβt matter because I have a degree. I donβt subscribe to the notion that I matter because of what I can offer. I matter because I a human being. Thatβs it.
#BlackLivesMatterRegardless
Wow. Iβm really out here studying for a final exam in quantum mechanics for my PhD program in aerospace engineering at Georgia Tech. I would have never thought I was smart enough for this. But here we are.
Got a call from my bf but when I said hello he wouldnβt answer. I overheard him talking to someone. My 1st instinct is to jump in the car and find him thinking he called me for safety bc he got pulled over. Iβm violently shaking and looking for him to find out he buttdialed me.
Students who went straight from undergrad to PhD programs with only a summer break in which you worked full time, how we feeling right now? Was that a bad idea or WHAT π€‘
Today I made one of the most difficult decisions Iβve ever had to make. I had to say goodbye to my sweet, babygirl. My best friend, my daughter, my everything.
You probably donβt care and thatβs OK but Im kinda proud of myself for doing my first βrepairβ in the lab. I fixed the labs air compressor. I learned a ton in doing so. Hearing it kick on and operate successfully was soothing for my soul.
Iβll never forget failing a class for the first time. I genuinely thought my life was over. Now Iβm slated to take my PhD qualification exam in the same subject. Aerodynamics you thought you had me but Iβm coming for that NECK baby!
FIRST 4.0 EVER!!! And during one of the hardest semesters of my life π in an aerospace engineering PhD program at a top school!!! BYEEEE getting drΓΆnk π₯π₯π₯π₯
I have never had a 4.0. In College. Iβve been so close, too. I know it doesnβt matter like that but it is a personal goal of mine. Putting in the atmosphere that this semester will be my first 4.0. β¨
Todays Black @ NASA posts were so beautiful and inspiring. It had me reminiscing to my first NASA photos π₯² and how some pics are still being used still 6 years later
Being comfortable enough to say βI donβt know, teach meβ is a life hack. It relieves me of the pressure to know it all. Even if someone is condescending to me, Iβm like w.e. - as long as Iβm learning Iβm winning. Your need to feel like youβre better than me is a personal problem.
The whole βhowβd you not know this, everyone knows thisβ crap literally kept me from asking questions in class for a while when in undergrad. I was always worried about being the dumbest in the room. It keeps so many out of STEAM. The whole point of science is to ask questions.
Today is another launch day. While Iβm excited, it was important to me that I shared this. Its not very well-written but I think it encapsulates my feelings right now. Happpy launch day.
Um so shout out to me. I did something I consider super brave today. I was totally honest with my mental health care provider! Iβve always held back in therapy due to concerns of hindering my future career (astronaut). But today I decided that my mental health matters more.
Hi new twitter fam! My name is Naia Butler-Craig! I have a BS in Aerospace Engineering from
@ERAU_Daytona
, current Aerospace Engineering PhD student
@GeorgiaTech
specializing in electric propulsion, NASA pathways intern
@NASAglenn
and GEM fellow
@LosAlamosNatLab
!
Just realized my βself-careβ activities arenβt actually self-care but avoidance and thatβs why Iβm never actually rejuvenated. Learning to do things for me that actually fill me up and not just distract me from reality.
I spent my 25th bday depressed and institutionalized. This one is personal.
All Glory to God for the opportunity to live another year and for keeping me.
This is 26.
All 4 Floyd Suspect murderers arrested. Great. Breonna Taylor case reopened. Splendid. But Iβm still looking at an exhaustive list of names who still deserve justice. So no, not satisfied. If only you would have listened to us before.
Crashing the
#BlackInPhysicsRollCall
even though Iβm not a physicist yet!
Iβm a 2nd year PhD student studying aerospace engineering with a focus in electric propulsion (a form of plasma propulsion)! EP involves low temp plasma physics so call me an aspiring plasmaphysicist!
This WSJ debacle is why I go out of my way to call every woman, especially of color, with a PhD that I come across βDr.β I do not care if weβre best friends, family etc. I know too many people ready to rob you of the title you worked so hard for. I will overcompensate for them.
Envious of all the people who are motivated about science and the sharing of it right now. To those that are having trouble reconnecting to their passions right now, I see you and Iβm with you.
I have to remind myself how proud I was to earn this jacket and be part of a lab that does electric propulsion research - exactly what Iβve wanted to do since sophomore year of undergrad. I said I would do it and I did. No matter how tough this journey gets I will see it through.
Successful First Day Back at the Lab! Iβll be working as a systems integration and test engineer for a small hall-effect thruster called SKEP (Sub-Kilowatt Electric Propulsion). Thrusters of itβs kind will be applicable to CubeSat missions in the future!
The first black woman to earn a PhD in nuclear engineering just accepted my LinkedIn request πππ Iβve been fangirling her all morning. She prob thinks Iβm a creep.
Something that I donβt think is well understood is that when someone says theyβre busy, theyβre not always talking about a full schedule. Sometimes theyβre talking about a full mind. Just cause your schedule is open doesnβt mean youβre free.
βSo yes, they let women do some things at NASA, Mr. Johnson. And it's not because we wear skirts. It's because we wear glasses. Have a good day.β - Katherine Johnson (
@tarajiphenson
), Hidden Figure 2016
Iβm only gonna ask this once. But please donβt let me wake up to βBlack Women Will Save Usβ think pieces and articles about Stacey Abrams. Thatβs not what we need to take from this :) we are not your superheroes. Just follow her lead.
My
#InternationalWomeninEngineeringDay
this year is not about how happy I am to be a woman in the field. Unfortunately, the βwomen should dress modest so they arenβt sexually harassedβ discussion opened up an old wound. I have never really shared this publicly. TW: sexual assault
Please stop sharing photos/videos of Black people being murdered. Please stop sharing photos/videos of Black people being murdered. Please stop sharing photos/videos of Black people being murdered. Please stop sharing photos/videos of Black people being murdered.
#BlackInAeroRollCall
my name is Naia Butler-Craig Iβm an aerospace engineering PhD student at Georgia Tech! My research lies in electric space propulsion devices and Iβm looking to optimize them for deep space exploration mission applications π GO GO GO whoβs next!?
Imposters Syndrome will have you thinking your degree meant nothing, your accomplishments meant nothing, and the people who believe in you for good reason are all just sadly mistaken.
Say hi to a 2nd year AE PhD student π Here are my academic highlights
Helped fire my first ion thruster (RIT-10)
Earned my dream fellowship
Aimed for a 4.0, fell short twice (3.0 first semester and 3.5 second semester) and I got over it. Progress > Perfection
Over the years, African Americans have paved the way for space exploration. π In honor of
#BlackHistoryMonth
, join us as we celebrate their contributions to our mission of reaching new heights and revealing the unknown for the benefit of humankind. Watch:
Itβs Juneteenth! Follow and amplify a Black scientist today! πβ¨ hereβs a great place to start and also get educated on Terraforming and the ethics of it!
So itβs time to talk about terraforming Mars. You may have heard about this in movies, but how would we really do it? Iβm going to talk about what terraforming is, why and how we would terraform Mars, the issues it consists of, and my own thoughts on the subject.
#scicomm
(1/22)
Iβm getting so much better at decoupling my self-worth and my academic success! I got the denial email from Ford Fellowship and I was disappointed but moved on and had a great rest of my day. Iβve never been able to do that.
Thread Alert: This is may stir some controversy but I think there really needs to be a conversation about the over-utilization of black scholars for outreach events/efforts (specifically STEM outreach).
Supporting my amazing friends during
#BlackBirdersWeek
! They have inspired me to become more enthusiastic about nature around me. So hereβs to my first time hiking!
#BlackInNature
! Make sure to participate and amplify the
#blackbirders
on your TL! Follow
@BlackAFinSTEM
for more!
Finally ready for cathode testing this semester. Got the mock anode constructed, repairs completed, and itβs all ready to be wired up. Fingers crossed for smooth sailing, lots of learning, and pretty blue light πππ! (Old pic)
Just found out I got an A in the one subject area I failed and had to retake in undergrad.. advanced aerodynamics. Despite earning an A the second time i took it, I was scared to take the grad level course. Lol You thought you had me girl. Canβt beat a person who wonβt quit π€ͺ
Unpopular opinion: I wish we would leave colonization on Earth. I hate that we look at Mars as something else to OWN. Space should humble you. Itβs not for colonization. Not another place we can go spray the βHumans Waz Hereβ tag on and leave it shambles like weβre leaving Earth
@OrangePaulp
I aspire to this level of calm βlet me get you together right quickβ attitude. She snatched her life up without changing her facial expression. Royalty.