Scientist from Puerto Rico, Maria Cordero Hardy (American Women in Science Biography)

This is the story of a real girl, Maria Cordero, who was born in Puerto Rico and came to the mainland as a young teenager. She worked hard to learn a new language and overcome the low expectations of those who believed her gender and place of origin would limit her future. Maria achieved her dual goals of family and career, earning a Ph.D. in physiology to become a research scientist with important work on vitamin E and program director of the Department of Medical Technology at Louisiana State University.