Her spirit is bubbly and energetic — as attractive as a radiant sun shining over Northeast Ohio on an August afternoon. A young, Black female — wearing long locs with touches of a bronze hue on the tips — Monica Marshall is an astronomer at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. These days, she’s finding herself at the center of the universe.
Marshall, 31, joined the Museum staff in 2023, almost a year before the recent, much anticipated total solar eclipse arrived.
“To have a voice in astronomy during the total eclipse, to see the total eclipse in my backyard, has been the highlight of my career,” says Marshall.
Despite always loving astronomy, she moved away from it a bit while attending college at Alaska Pacific University in Anchorage, where she earned a degree in environmental studies with a concentration in policy and a minor in consulting psychology. But how did this Euclid High School graduate develop such a love for astronomy in the first place?
In the 9th grade, Marshall took physics. She wanted to take astronomy then but had to wait until the 12th grade before the class would be available. In the meantime, she joined SAVE (Students Against Violating the Earth), a club that conducted beach clean-ups. Doing this work made her feel good and helped her see what was destroying the environment.
She always looked up at the sky, and her initial interest in astronomy was sparked from a concern that the sun could explode, a fear she developed around 5th grade when her parents enrolled her in a summer camp at NASA. Between that experience and watching the movie Armageddon, she became hooked on what’s in space. But her high school astronomy teacher at Euclid, Matthew Young, made it fun.
“I was not surprised [Monica] went into science as a career,” says Young. “I was delighted when I saw the influence my astronomy class had on her future. It must have been written in the stars for Monica to work in astronomy.”
When Marshall finally took Young’s astronomy class, she enjoyed his approach. He would tell stories about the stars. She found them intriguing and even uses the same method of educating others about the universe.
After graduation, Marshall wanted to study in the world’s most “pristine” place. That is why she went to Alaska. There, her interests shifted to the ground — Earth — and she began to think of herself as an environmentalist. She honed in on Earth and protecting this planet.
“I wanted to make the connection between the ground and the sky,” Marshall says. “A lot of what we see on Earth and in space are patterns,” Marshall explains. “I understand the complexity of the universe is simple. My goal is to get people to understand what’s happening.”
Although she thought she wanted to wear heels and a blazer while influencing environmental law, she avoided it because she started to understand that, with adults, it’s hard to alter anything — let alone their thinking. Then, as she returned to Cleveland, the universe pulled her back toward astronomy.
In 2017, during the partial eclipse, she worked at Lake Erie Nature and Science Center. It excited her then to know she helped people see something phenomenal. She realized, at that point, she was realigning with her true passion, which is where she says she believes she thrives. For the latest eclipse, Marshall found herself in the right place — working for the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
A typical day involves working in the planetarium with her team. As the planetarium is closed, they spend their time in the “Ask an Astronomer” booth, answering guests’ questions about space. However, on April 8, the three team members became rock stars, with Marshall being the headliner, the result of her extreme ability to articulate the language of astronomy.
She wants to be a spokesperson and ambassador for astronomy.
“Ultimately, I feel like my gift comes from communication. When I’m on a stage, I very much have a presence,” she says. “I really just want to get
people to look into the sky. That is my biggest goal is to get people looking up all the time.”
Marshall wants to make a safe and healthy environment for our future, joining the two worlds — the science of space and the science of our home planet.
“Monica embodies the Museum’s mission to inspire through science and education,” says Sonia Winner, Cleveland Museum of Natural History president and CEO. “Not only is she a wealth of knowledge, but Monica also has the unique ability to turn science concepts into a compelling story, reaching audiences of all ages, backgrounds and skill sets. We’re honored to have such an enthusiastic and gifted ambassador for the Museum.”
Marshall says she is grateful that Cleveland, her hometown, is providing her the opportunity to do what she’s wanted to do, what she loves to do. She doesn’t see herself leaving anytime soon, even though she never thought her career would develop and evolve the way it has here.
Very much a ‘science gal,’ she likes to sing when she looks at the sky. Marshall also enjoys birdwatching, playing guitar and bowling. She’s even learning to play the ukulele.
“The world is heavy. I use the sky to reset,” she says.
