Black History Month 2022: International Day of Women and Girls in Science
We are celebrating Black History Month by interviewing those who are a part of the Black community and work within the field of STEM, as we want to allow more diverse voices to be heard and acknowledge those whose achievements need honoring.
In this piece, we are focusing on celebrating the achievements of Black women who work within STEM, to highlight International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2022. So we asked the question:
‘What would you say is your greatest achievement?’
Nicole Fleming, PhD
Scientist II/Bioanalytical Project Manager
Bioagilytix (NC, USA)
To date, my greatest achievement is being the first in my entire family to earn a PhD. I successfully defended my PhD work in Black History Month, on February 4 2019. Then, in May 2019, I was hooded in front of my family, who traveled from the Virgin Islands, along with my friends. What an epic moment! It was also great to see the pride on my mother’s face and to put my graduation cap on my 7-year-old nephew’s head. Despite the obvious reasons why I consider this my greatest achievement, I also think being a Black female scientist serves as encouragement for other Black people that they too can thrive in a scientific field. This achievement has allowed me to pay it forward. With my grad school and current job experiences, I visited my undergrad university to teach biology labs and interact with aspiring STEM majors and faculty. Currently, some of those students are enrolled in graduate programs throughout the US. I also provide advice and assistance to colleagues and mentees in academia and in their careers.
Maria Dixon, PhD
Scientist Training Program Manager
Bioagilytix (NC, USA)
My greatest achievement is being the first African American female to earn a PhD in microbiology from the University of Kentucky (KY, USA). I overcame unimaginable adversity to accomplish this goal. During my first semester of grad school, my husband was involved in a nearly fatal car accident resulting in extreme emotional distress while managing my time as a wife, caregiver and student. My faith and trust in God gave me the strength to not give up and reminded me of the greater days ahead.
Tinaya Gray
Senior Director, Project Delivery
ICON plc (NC, USA)
A couple of years ago, I would have said working on a study responsible for curing a disease with a short course of oral treatment that has impacted stigmatized groups dramatically in the US and impacts many people in developing countries with historically limited access to treatments.
Hopefully, though, it will be something I am working on now – actively participating in and shaping our corporate culture as it relates to diversity and inclusion, particularly with our own people, trial participants and potential patients who will eventually benefit from the treatments we work to bring to market. It’s obviously connected to what drove me to this industry, to begin with, and I am overcome with excitement about the industries’ stated commitments and goals in this space.
It’s allowed me to start a mentoring program specifically for underrepresented populations, participate in workshops directed to change underrepresentation at leadership levels, develop materials to articulate our positions to stakeholders, and partner with community groups and others who are directly working with some of the populations where we hope to increase inclusion and positively impact overall health.
Rebecca Wates, PhD
Senior Program Manager
KCAS (KS, USA)
My greatest achievement was completing my PhD. I faced many challenges during matriculation: my oldest brother passed away during my first year, my department aligned against me and attempted to take away my incentive pay, I suffered a third-degree burn on my hand, I was injured in a car accident, my dad was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer. It was a battle to walk across that stage! But I will never forget the moment I walked onto the stage, the Director of Graduate Studies, Dr George Justice (who defended me during the incentive pay fight) greeted me with a smile, a hug and said, “I am so happy to see you on this stage, Rebecca.” For every adversarial experience I’ve had, there has always been an ally who supported me and helped me to get to the next phase of my career. I am grateful to so many people who have been willing to go the extra mile. As a college student, my Honors College Dean Dr Sylvia Carey-Butler always quoted the Biblical scripture, “to whom much is given, much is required.” I have been given many helping hands along the way – I am committed to being that helping hand for the Black scientists who come after me.
Blessing Okai
Lab Data Analyst
Q2 Solutions (Aberdeen, UK)
My greatest achievement is successfully moving to a new country and excelling in meeting my goals. I graduated with a distinction for my master’s program and got a confirmed position at my company 2 months before I expected for carrying out my job at a very high standard.
