'Hidden Figures' author appears at Fayetteville State University

FAYETTEVILLE, NC (WTVD) -- The author of "Hidden Figures" shared some inspiration Tuesday with students at Fayetteville State University.

Margot Shetterly's book, "Hidden Figures" was the basis for the Academy Award-nominated movie about black female mathematicians working for NASA.

It was a packed house at the Seabrook Auditorium. Shetterly's speech was a part of the chancellor's distinguished speaker series. Many wanted to hear from the author who introduced us to the untold story of four trailblazers for African American women - Dorothy Vaughn, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson and Christine Darden, who is originally from North Carolina.

Shetterly walked the audience through what it took to write such a profound book. She spent countless hours of research dedicated to capturing the stories of these pioneer women who helped launch astronaut John Glenn into outer space.

Shetterly said she wrote the book because she didn't want their contributions to continue going unnoticed.