The Duke University Biology website notes that its primary goal is to create an academic environment enriched by diverse life experiences and prevent all forms of discrimination and harassment. My past experiences demonstrate that my commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion aligns well with this philosophy. I am committed to making a difference in ensuring everyone has opportunities to excel in their scholarly activities.

 

I taught a Clinical Applications of Microbiology laboratory class at my past university in the Spring of 2020. I developed this course and translated it into an online class for future semesters. I intended this online course to be as fair to everyone as possible and not disadvantage or penalize any student experiencing difficulty. Diversity and inclusion in the classroom are essential for academic success by allowing all students to feel safe, respected, and heard.

 

I have mentored ten undergraduate students on various research projects from different backgrounds at Rutgers and Duke University. Approximately 75% of the students I have mentored are women, 50% are minorities, and 80% are first-generation students. At the beginning of these mentor-mentee relationships, it was apparent that the students needed to be made aware of the opportunities available to them through research. Introducing these opportunities led to fourteen different student presentations at various scientific conferences at Rutgers University. Two students received the Dean's Undergraduate Research Prize for their studies. Four of my past research students have gone on to M.S. or Ph.D. programs, and one to a D.V.M./Ph.D. program.

 

Within my advisor's lab, we participate yearly in creating and updating our laboratory constitution. This constitution defines the laboratory culture in which we all who engage in the lab actively continue to create a safe place. We recognize that systemic discrimination, racism, sexism, xenophobia, classism, and their intersections, as well as other forms of oppression, have been -and still are– responsible for the lack of access and opportunities to members of marginalized, underserved, and underrepresented communities. The laboratory accepts no forms of oppression/discrimination, and we commit to fighting them within and outside our lab. 

 

As I proceed in my academic and research career, I inspire to interact with students from underrepresented groups to continue to increase the equality of opportunities between students. I aim to recruit mentees underrepresented in my area and train them to succeed in their academic and professional goals.