When she was a little girl, Erin Jackson's parents told her dictionaries were cool books. Once they introduced her to figure skating, Erin simply loved going fast. Eventually, she switched over to inline speed skating where she figured that was where she wanted to be.
On February 14, NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt announced on Twitter that Erin was the first Black woman to win a speed-skating medal. "I just hope it sparks something," the gold medalist told NBC, expressing hope for inspiring more Black skaters.
On Instagram, Erin aka "speedyj" shared her win with 50,000 followers. No doubt about it, the Winter Olympics champion is a leader in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
Erin Jackson made history at the Winter Olympics as the first Black woman to win a speedskating medal.
— NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt (@NBCNightlyNews) February 14, 2022
"I just hope it sparks something," the gold medalist says of her hope for inspiring more Black skaters.
We'll have the latest on the Beijing Games tonight on @NBCNightlyNews. pic.twitter.com/z0ZnIEEb5q
Erin shines a light not only for long-track speedskating but for studying material science and engineering at the University of Flordia. There, she specialized in ceramic materials. According to one of her professors, when Erin helped research zirconia for use in dental ceramics, her work was often better than that of Ph.D. candidates. She also has an associate degree in computer science and working toward an associate degree in exercise science.
