The California, born daughter of Dale B. Ride, a political science professor at Santa Monica Community College, and Joyce Ride, a counselor at a women's correctional institution, Sally Ride is the first American woman to soar into the heavens. She began early to combine her competitive spirit with academic determination. As a youngster her ability on the tennis courts led her to rate eighteenth nationally on the junior tennis circuit. Starting in physics at Swarthmore College, she finished at Stanford University, earning her B.S. in physics and B.A. in English literature. She received her doctorate at Stanford University.
Hearing that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was looking for young scientists to serve as mission specialists, she applied ... and with that step, she opened the doors of the future for more women.
