Erna Hoover was a woman who helped pave the way for other women in S.T.E.M. Her greatest accomplishment was her invention of the telephone switchboard system it helped make incredible strides for businesses and telephone users. She made a great impact in technology becoming one of the first people to ever receive a software patent for their work. “Erna Hoover is recognized for being one of the first women pioneers in computer technology (Notable Women Scientists, 2009).” Despite the odds especially being a woman in her time period, Erna never gave up on her vision and her love for science. She made a difference in more people’s life than she could ever imagine and thanks to her invention still today we experience less dropped calls than we would if she had never made her discovery. Reading her story inspired me to write about her because she was a strong and intelligent woman who never let anyone tell her she ‘can’t’ even when at a time they didn’t believe in her. She showed young women of her era that you can do anything you put your mind to as long as you have the heart and dedication anything is possible.
