If ever there was a person who defined Trailblazer, it was Sally Ride. In 1983, she became the first American woman to boldly go where none had gone before. Out there – way out there. I was 7 years old and I distinctly remember watching the lift off and thinking at that moment that if Sally Ride could go into space, then I could do anything. I was only limited by my own drive and my own intentions. Everything was possible.
While her passing after a long and painful illness at far too young an age is a sad and terrible thing, the legacy she left behind cannot be overstated. Sally Ride showed all of us that with graceful courage and strength, the sky was no longer the limit. She didn’t tell people what she was going to do; she showed them. And the best we can do in her memory is follow that same example as we plot the course of our own lives. Get out there and do something amazing!
Christa Avampato 