Like many mothers of the 1960s, Willis Jenkins’ mother told her son he could be the first man on the moon. Unlike those other mothers, however, Jenkins’ let him tinker under the kitchen sink with a wrench, invent an intercom from old telephones and power his bedroom with car batteries.
Then, in 1969: “Neil Armstrong beat me out,” Jenkins said. “I remember that like it was yesterday.” So, at 9, he decided to become a doctor, studying for his MCATs at age 15. He studied medicine, but space never left his mind. Now a NASA engineer, Jenkins doesn’t jet into space — but he helps send the people who do.
In his spare time, Jenkins, 48, teaches first- and second-graders every week at church, and visits other school and community groups encouraging kids to reach for the stars.
“I used to dream about landing on the moon, but Neil Armstrong had not landed yet,” Jenkins said. “Students should look beyond what they can just see.”
Jenkins grew up in Southeast D.C. off Benning Road, a tough neighborhood made tougher by race riots and their aftermath. He said he is successful because his parents mentored him, and that he strives to do the same.
