Heidi Stevens: Katherine Johnson and her 'Hidden Figures' story inspired young people, including a budding astronaut from Chicago, to chase their dreams

I thought about Akosua Haynes on Monday morning, when I read about the death of NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson at age 101.

Johnson was a human computer whose exacting calculations launched John Glenn into orbit and, equally important, brought him safely back to Earth. Her work and life remained largely unknown to the public at large until Margot Lee Shetterly published her bestselling book, "Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold