Dr. Mae Jemison, the first ever woman of color to travel into space, delivered the keynote address at Bentley University’s 29th annual celebration honoring Martin Luther King Jr. on Thursday, April 9, 2015, from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. The program was sponsored by the President’s Office, Multicultural Center, and the Center for Alumni, Parents and Friends.

Jemison served six years as a NASA astronaut and is currently leading the 100 Year Starship Initiative. The initiative’s mission is to assure the capability for human interstellar space travel to another star within the next 100 years.

Jemison is the founder of The Jemison Group, Inc., a technology consulting firm that integrates the impact of socio-cultural issues when designing and implementing technologies in developing countries. Jemison also founded several science education initiatives such as an international science camp called, The Earth We Share.

Prior to joining NASA, Jemison served internationally as an Area Peace Corps Medical Officer for Sierra Leone and Liberia, and worked at a Cambodian refugee camp with the Flying Doctors of East Africa. She earned a B.S. degree in chemical engineering and the requirements for an A.B. degree in African and Afro-American Studies at Stanford University. Jemison completed her M.D. from Cornell University.