Google CEO Sundar Pichai applauds an Astrophysicist who once scored 0 in her physics exam

Pichai Sundararajan — known as Sundar Pichai—  is one of the most influential executives in the world. The Google CEO recently retweeted an inspiring post shared by a 26-year-old astrophysics student named Sarafina Nance.

Sarafina took to her Twitter handle to share her grades and how she wanted to quit, she wrote, “4 years ago I got a 0 on a quantum physics exam. i met with my professor fearing i needed to change my major & quit physics. today, i’m in a top tier astrophysics Ph.D program & published 2 papers. STEM is hard for everyone—grades don’t mean you’re not good enough to do it.”

4 years ago I got a 0 on a quantum physics exam. i met with my professor fearing i needed to change my major & quit physics. today, i’m in a top tier astrophysics Ph.D program & published 2 papers.

STEM is hard for everyone—grades don’t mean you’re not good enough to do it.

— Sarafina Nance (@starstrickenSF) November 20, 2019

Nance’s tweet went viral in no time, garnering over 81,000 likes and more than 14,000 retweets and still counting. Everyone appreciated her for her determination, including the Google Chief Sundar Pichai.

Quoting Sarafina’s tweet, Sundar Pichai, said, “Well said and so inspiring!” 

Well said and so inspiring! https://t.co/qHBwdv3fmS

— Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) November 21, 2019

Nance responded to Pichai, “Thank you so much!!! this means the world!!”

thank you so much!!! this means the world!!

— Sarafina Nance (@starstrickenSF) November 21, 2019

Not only that a few people also shared their own motivational stories on Twitter. Check it out:

“Got a 2.4 GPA my first semester in college. Thought maybe I wasn’t cut out for engineering. Today I’ve landing two spacecraft on Mars, and designing one for the moon. STEM is hard for everyone. Grades ultimately aren’t what matters. Curiosity and persistence matter”

Got a 2.4 GPA my first semester in college. Thought maybe I wasn’t cut out for engineering. Today I’ve landing two spacecraft on Mars, and designing one for the moon.

STEM is hard for everyone. Grades ultimately aren’t what matters. Curiosity and persistence matter.

— Ben Cichy (@bencichy) November 22, 2019

“Good for you!!  HS was easy for me – so of course I failed my first chemistry exam in college. Figured I would never get into medical school. Our prof lectured us on how one grade, one class will NOT make or break us. Changed my perception.”

Good for you!!

HS was easy for me – so of course I failed my first chemistry exam in college. Figured I would never get into medical school.

Our prof lectured us on how one grade, one class will NOT make or break us. Changed my perception.

— John Shields (@jointdocShields) November 21, 2019

“Dude, I straight up failed Calc 3 and I spent 20 years as a professional astronomer”

Dude, I straight up failed Calc 3 and I spent 20 years as a professional astronomer.

— Charles Danforth →? (@c_dan4th) November 20, 2019

“So true! I bombed a class in undergrad and the prof told me not everyone had “the brain for science.” 4 years later I have a science degree from Stanford, double-digit publications (in not shabby journals) and love my job making science more accessible and understandable :)”

So true! I bombed a class in undergrad and the prof told me not everyone had "the brain for science." 4 years later I have a science degree from Stanford, double-digit publications (in not shabby journals) and love my job making science more accessible and understandable 🙂

— Natalie Deuitch (@nataliedeuitch) November 21, 2019

“Thank you. I needed to read this today. I’ve been very good at learning and test taking in the past, but personal issues have really burnt me out. This is a reminder that the resulting grades don’t need to define my future. Thank you for sharing. I’m sure it helps others too.”

Thank you. I needed to read this today. I've been very good at learning and test taking in the past, but personal issues have really burnt me out. This is a reminder that the resulting grades don't need to define my future. Thank you for sharing. I'm sure it helps others too.

— Jocelyn Petitto (@flutterbyeffect) November 21, 2019

“I was a physics major in undergrad, but I scored so low on the physics GRE that I’m still embarrassed to say what it was, 10 years later. That kept me out of many grad schools.
Now I have a PhD, and am actively working to help return the US to the surface of the Moon.”

I was a physics major in undergrad, but I scored so low on the physics GRE that I'm still embarrassed to say what it was, 10 years later. That kept me out of many grad schools.

Now I have a PhD, and am actively working to help return the US to the surface of the Moon. https://t.co/lPNGLMtwQv

— Ryan Watkins (@Ryan_N_Watkins) November 22, 2019