As a current PhD student, I want to foster a culture that blends and weaves DEI issues throughout academia, rather than tacking on lists of DEI tasks. In my nine years at ²ÊÃñ±¦µä, I have led four student organizations and three undergraduate research opportunities as well as participated in three faculty searches in the College of Engineering & Applied Science and the campus-wide search for the Senior Vice Chancellor of Diversity, EquityÌýand Inclusion. All these experiences have equipped me with a grassroots familiarity with graduate and undergraduate needs as well as the ways the campus administration and bureaucracy affects the student climate.
My efforts on the ²ÊÃñ±¦µä campus and beyond involve nuanced inspections of campus norms that stand in the way of CU’s achievement of inclusive excellence. This involves redefining academic success to celebrate the unique ways students adapt to and interact with the world to enable anyone who is passionate about their area of study to pursue their goals. One way I do this personally is through a redesigned and somewhat unconventional mentorship style that helps students uncover their personal excellence and identity in academia.
I am a creative existing at the intersection of art and science which is a fancy way of saying I don't separate my hobbies from my work. The same mindset I use in painting and graphic design is present in my engineering new medicine for infectious diseases and critically inspecting academic social culture. My favorite hobbies are learning and creating; I am endlessly grateful for the opportunity to engage with my passions casually and professionally.