Pink Boots and a Machete
Dr. Mireya Mayor鈥攈ailed by The New York Times as 鈥淭he Female Indiana Jones鈥濃攊s a world-renowned primatologist, explorer, and Emmy Award-nominated TV host. What she is not is typical.
As National Geographic鈥檚 first female wildlife correspondent, Mireya launched her TV career, reporting from remote locales where she was conducting field research. Since then, she has hosted dozens of documentaries, including her own series Wild Nights with Mireya Mayor (Nat GeoWILD), Mark Burnett鈥檚 Expedition Africa (History Channel), and the current hit series, , (Travel Channel). Mireya grew up in Miami鈥檚 Little Havana neighborhood, overprotected by her Cuban immigrant parents, so, when she won a Fulbright Scholarship that would send her packing a machete, and hiking into the jungles of South America, it would be her first camping trip.
Not one for rules or limitations, Mireya carved her own path. Why should she not be a budding scientist during the week and a Miami Dolphins cheerleader on Sundays? She continues to do so. This loving mother of six is in near-constant motion, pushing strollers, being a dance mom, kissing scraped knees, while reading scripts, coaching FIU professors in the art of science communication, and searching for that elusive figure in the backwoods.