Mentor
As a non-binary person in a highly competitive field of science I have often wished for more role models when I was younger. At times I have felt like imagining my future mainly had me looking at people who look nothing like me and have had very different lived experiences. I strongly believe that mentoring, formal and informal, can help underrepresented people in science be more successful and feel more included. Building networks and creating tools that make it possible for anyone interested in science to engage with it, and achieve sustainable success within it has been very important to me throughout my time in academia. Building up a mentoring network within the UIUC Department of Physics has been a big part of that
Read about my thoughts on how advocacy, outreach and mentorship intersect here.
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More about my mentoring work with:
Illinois Guidance for Physics Students
In addition to my formal mentoring work as a doctoral student I have often been sought by younger colleagues and senior student as a conversation partner in times of uncertainty. I have been humbled and flattered by these interactions and believe they can be crucial. Instead of an idealized idea of solitary genius, my vision of scientific excellence is one of community care and empathetic collaboration. My goal, in any professional capacity, is to maintain an attitude that invites these interactions and cherish them as genuine and mutually beneficial.