ABSTRACT
Kalpana Chawla was born in 1962 in the north Indian city of Karnal. After obtaining an engineering degree from Punjab Engineering College in 1982, she moved to the United States to pursue graduate studies. She attended the University of Texas at Arlington and obtained a doctoral degree from the University of Colorado. Chawla joined the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1994.1 Her contributions to space research at NASA have made her a household name in India, where countless children are regularly exhorted to “study hard, so that you can be like Kalpana Chawla one day.” On February 3, 2003, at the age of 41, Kalpana Chawla died, along with six other astronauts, on the Space Shuttle Columbia. Chawla’s journey ended tragically early, but her life continues to be an inspiration to millions of Indian school children, particularly girls. According to news reports, Chawla encountered and overcame family resistance to her decision to move to the US as single woman. Similar to the mothers of those whom we have profiled, Chawla’s mother encouraged her to pursue her professional aspirations.2 Chawla’s accomplishments are a powerful illustration of how far Indian women have come on their independent immigrant journeys. In our concluding chapter, we will revisit some of our stories in order to understand the individual and societal factors that have made such remarkable journeys possible.
