Early Life and Education
Stefanyshyn-Piper was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, United States, of Ukrainian-American heritage. Her father, Michael (Mykhailo) Stefanyshyn, now deceased, was born in the Halychyna region of Ukraine, and sent to work in Germany during World War II. After the end of the war, he married a German woman and they both immigrated to the U.S. Stefanyshyn-Piper's mother, Adelheid Stefanyshyn, still lives in St. Paul. Stefanyshyn-Piper was raised in the Ukrainian cultural community of Minneapolis–Saint Paul, and speaks the Ukrainian language.
Stefanyshyn-Piper graduated in 1980 from what was then the all-girls Derham Hall High School in St. Paul, Minnesota, and holds Bachelor of Science (1984) and Master of Science (1985) degrees in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She is a licensed ham radio operator with Technician License KD5TVR.
Stefanyshyn-Piper married Glenn A. Piper, and they have one son, Michael, named after Piper's grandfather. Stefanyshyn-Piper hyphenated her surname after marriage to serve as a reminder of her family roots.
Read more about this topic: Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper
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