Diversity, accessibility, inclusion, and equity do not simply enhance learning - they are required for it.
In graduate school I had trouble paying attention in class because the chairs in the room were extremely painful for me to sit on due to my chronic pain. In undergrad I was disconnected from my peers and disadvantaged because I did not have a college-educated parent or friend to send my rough drafts and applications to for edits. In grade school I had trouble meeting deadlines and staying awake in class because I suffered from undiagnosed depression and insomnia. I was able to overcome all of these challenges because a teacher saw me struggling, and helped me. I know that you too have overcome challenges that were not of your own making, and I hope someone was there to help you.
Due to the barriers I have faced as a disabled, first-generation student I am deeply passionate and actively dedicated to directly contributing to the retention, success, and wellbeing of other students with diverse identities. These identities are both further marginalized in field ecology, as my disability puts limits on what I can do physically and as a low-income, first-gen student I had almost no experience with the outdoors and have had to learn a lot and spend a great deal of money on gear so that I can participate in field work at the level of my peers. Despite these challenges I have had success in my field work, but due to these challenges I have chosen to focus statistical and mathematical modeling in my research, which is accessible to almost anyone with a computer, the internet, and some time. I believe computational and theoretical work may represent the most accessible work in biology, and therefore I am really passionate about spreading the joy of math and statistics to other biologists and ecologists and sharing free online datasets and resources that can be used even when funding is not available.
My marginalized identities are invisible, and therefore make it difficult for those possessing them to find community and resources. As a graduate student teaching assistant and associate instructor, I am uniquely placed to create a space in which I and others can find community through shared experiences. To this end, I have participated in various programs across campus such as the Women in STEM Mentorship program, the Graduate Scholars Program, and the California Alliance for Minority Participation program. In each of these programs I have either mentored or been a mentee to another student from a diverse background. I have also mentored 30 students in the four years of my PhD, many from diverse backgrounds, and continue to bring in new mentees even during the COVID-19 pandemic. To bridge the mentoring and lab experience gap my students are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic, I have conducted a for-credit journal club each quarter since Spring 2020 where a group of 5-15 students read and present papers, practice grant writing, learn to code, and hear from graduate students about their journeys.
I bring my passion for accessibility into the classroom by sharing my experiences as a disabled person in the classroom and highlighting resources; sharing work done by women scientists, scientists of color, and scientists from diverse backgrounds; using examples which are not culturally located and which include a diversity of names and pronouns; having a classroom/working group code of conduct, and many other "little" things not listed here.
Due to the barriers I have faced as a disabled, first-generation student I am deeply passionate and actively dedicated to directly contributing to the retention, success, and wellbeing of other students with diverse identities. These identities are both further marginalized in field ecology, as my disability puts limits on what I can do physically and as a low-income, first-gen student I had almost no experience with the outdoors and have had to learn a lot and spend a great deal of money on gear so that I can participate in field work at the level of my peers. Despite these challenges I have had success in my field work, but due to these challenges I have chosen to focus statistical and mathematical modeling in my research, which is accessible to almost anyone with a computer, the internet, and some time. I believe computational and theoretical work may represent the most accessible work in biology, and therefore I am really passionate about spreading the joy of math and statistics to other biologists and ecologists and sharing free online datasets and resources that can be used even when funding is not available.
My marginalized identities are invisible, and therefore make it difficult for those possessing them to find community and resources. As a graduate student teaching assistant and associate instructor, I am uniquely placed to create a space in which I and others can find community through shared experiences. To this end, I have participated in various programs across campus such as the Women in STEM Mentorship program, the Graduate Scholars Program, and the California Alliance for Minority Participation program. In each of these programs I have either mentored or been a mentee to another student from a diverse background. I have also mentored 30 students in the four years of my PhD, many from diverse backgrounds, and continue to bring in new mentees even during the COVID-19 pandemic. To bridge the mentoring and lab experience gap my students are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic, I have conducted a for-credit journal club each quarter since Spring 2020 where a group of 5-15 students read and present papers, practice grant writing, learn to code, and hear from graduate students about their journeys.
I bring my passion for accessibility into the classroom by sharing my experiences as a disabled person in the classroom and highlighting resources; sharing work done by women scientists, scientists of color, and scientists from diverse backgrounds; using examples which are not culturally located and which include a diversity of names and pronouns; having a classroom/working group code of conduct, and many other "little" things not listed here.