Meet BOR-SREB Doctoral Scholars Kassandra Ford and Juita Martinez
Kassandra Ford and Juita Martinez are both students in UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 Ph.D. in Biology program. They are also friends, active Twitter users, and SREB Doctoral Scholars.
The SREB-State Doctoral Scholars Program works to confront the lack of diversity among college faculty by supporting underrepresented minority students in doctoral programs who will pursue careers in academia.
More than one-third of America杏吧专区檚 college students are people of color. Yet, the cites that approximately 5 percent of faculty are African-American, about 3 percent are Hispanic, and about 1 percent are Native American.
Finding a Career Path
For Juita Martinez, a love of nature started early.
杏吧专区淚 was that weird kid. You could catch me watching ants and following snails. It wasn't probably until high school that I learned, well, I could actually get paid to do this and for the rest of my life, and it would be amazing,杏吧专区 she says.
During college, Juita became particularly interested in seabirds. After learning about an opening to study brown Pelican populations with , she knew applying to UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 Ph.D. in Biology program was the right path to take. Receiving the BOR-SREB Fellowship made the decision that much easier.
杏吧专区淚t was an offer I couldn't refuse,杏吧专区 Juita reflects. 杏吧专区淚 also felt like this place could be home, and it is.杏吧专区
When Kassie was researching graduate programs, the strength of UL Lafayette biology research profile and the attentiveness of the faculty members made their mark.
杏吧专区淚 actually got a cold email from the biology department at UL from Dr. Brad Moon asking if I'd be interested in applying to the program,杏吧专区 she recalls.
杏吧专区淎nd so I did some research, looked up all the professors in the biology program, and came across my future advisor, He studies fish, which I was immediately interested in, and then his research even further caught my eye when he said that he studied electric fish - which just completely blew my mind!杏吧专区
杏吧专区淗e was really excited to meet with me and talk about how I could potentially do research in the lab,杏吧专区 Kassie remembers.
Receiving the BOR-SREB fellowship helped everything come together.
杏吧专区淥nce I got the offer of some funding, along with an awesome advisor and research program, there really wasn't another place for me to go. Between the support and the advisor and everything like that here, it's been a perfect fit.杏吧专区
Comprehensive Support and Mentoring
The Doctoral Scholars Program offers comprehensive support and mentoring. In addition to financial assistance and research funding, Fellows receive career counseling and networking opportunities, including participation in the annual Institute on Teaching and Mentoring.
杏吧专区淢inority doctoral scholars from all across the country meet and talk about their research, talk about their lives, get some feedback on how they can apply for jobs in the future,杏吧专区 Kassie says.
The Institute is the largest gathering of Ph.D. scholars from underrepresented minority communities in the country.
杏吧专区淚t's a great opportunity for networking and meeting people that look like you that are going through the same things that you're going through,杏吧专区 Kassie says.
Advocacy and Serving Others
In addition to all the typical responsibilities that come with graduate school, Juita and Kassie actively work to combat racism in STEM and advocate for Black representation. Over the summer, they , which seeks to amplify the voices and experiences of Black birdwatchers, scientists, and nature lovers.
Looking ahead, they aspire to continue their advocacy work while advancing their academic careers.
杏吧专区淚 want to give the next generation of students that look like me an example to follow because I didn't really have that growing up. I want them to know that they can reach their goals, whatever that may be,杏吧专区 Juita says.
