Aaima H.

Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ontario

District School Board of Niagara

Roberta Bondar

Roberta Bondar, a renowned Canadian astronaut and scientist, is a pioneer who has left an indelible mark on space exploration and environmentalism. I decided to choose this topic because Roberta has been a childhood inspiration of mine. I really enjoyed researching this topic because I find space very interesting and absorbing, and Roberta’s story was very exhilarating. I have discovered many new things about our own space history and how it was very important to the development of our space knowledge, not only for our country but for the entire world. She has inspired and still inspires many women to follow their dreams and reach their goals. She is a wonderful women who pushed Canada's reputation to the top and we should give her the respect and credit that she deserves.

What was the most interesting thing you learned about your topic?

The most interesting thing that I learned about my topic is how Roberta Bondar contributed to finding new techniques for color and black and white photography.

What important lessons have you learned that you want to share with other Canadians?

Through out my project I learned that showing determination and hard work can help you overcome any obstacle. Roberta is the perfect piece of proof that you need because since she became the first Canadian woman in space and the world's first neurologist to venture beyond Earth's atmosphere, she defied gender and professional expectations. I also learned that you should never give up on pursuing you passion as it could lead to groundbreaking discoveries and personal fulfillment. Overall I learned that hard work can get you somewhere, but lazy work will get you no where.

How would you compare your life today to the lives of those studied in your project?

My life today is easier than Roberta's life back in the day. Today I have more opportunities, freedom and programs. Also today most jobs and careers aren't male dominated as they were in Roberta's early life. But for Roberta she had a very limited amount of freedom, and she didn't have a lot of access to opportunities and programs. Also in her time she was discouraged by many people to stop pursuing her career in science as it wasn't a job fit for a women. But today science is encouraged all the time as there have been groundbreaking discoveries made by inspiring women just like Roberta. In the end today's time has become easier for women to do many things but back in the day it was hard for a women to pursue a goal that they wanted to achieve.