Undergraduate Students

Dawn Johnson

Major and degree pursued: Biology, bachelor of science

Prospective graduation year: 2025

Experience: psychiatric technician, the Meadows Psychiatric Center

Connect: LinkedIn | Instagram | Email

What motivates you to do science?

I love science because of the love that goes into it. Most people don't really equate science to love, but I do—whether you go into direct care in medicine, research, or teaching in academia, it's a labor of love. You go into health care because you value humanity so much you want to extend the lives of strangers you don't know for their loved ones. You go into research because you love knowledge and believe more should be known about the topic you study. You go into academia because you love learning and believe students deserve to learn at the breadth that you have had the opportunity to learn. Science is a labor of love that boils down to one phrase: “I care.” I cared about alleviating the pain of the world around me when I was six, I cared when I was a teenager, and I care even more now in my twenties. There is no other profession, in my opinion, that displays the amount of joy, sadness, mercy, grief, or pain more than science and medicine, which means that it's the profession where caring is needed the most. I pursue science and am pursuing medicine because I believe in the preservation of life and the importance of connecting with others, and in utilizing that power of human connection and knowledge to help other people at the most vulnerable point in their lives. I pursue science and medicine because of the love.

What does Black History Month mean to you?

Black History Month to me means remembering the strides our ancestors have taken for those of us who are Black and living in the modern era. Every time I read a biography or watch a documentary about the Black activists, scientists, educators, or political leaders of the past, I get a chill in my spine because it reminds me of how fortunate I am to not only be part of my culture but also to know that someone in the past cared so much about my generation's future they put themselves and their families on the line to ensure our future was better than their present. “Good ancestors plant the seeds of trees, whose shade they know they will never sit in” is my favorite quote, because it calls to my attention how focused all of us, as young Black science students and professionals can be preoccupied with being a good descendant and working “twice as hard,” as the old adage goes, to achieve our goals and honor their memory and their sacrifices. We get so caught up in this that we suffer from imposter syndrome, we doubt ourselves, we allow other people's doubts to seep in, or we quit. None of us need to focus on being good descendants—our mere existence, and the love we radiate to our communities, achieves this. If we really want to honor their memories, we need to focus on being good ancestors and finishing the work they started so long ago, caring about our futures and the futures of the younger generations that have been laid firmly in our hands. It's a month that's part of a year that's part of a lifetime of remembering that it's all up to us now.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

To all the younger, first- and second-year, students entering science: Please don't give up. The classes are hard, not everyone you meet will be supportive, and no, it won't be easy, but it will get easier. Find your niche within science, use that and work in your niche, and keep doing things outside the classroom to remember what you love about it and remind yourself why you got into it in the first place. It's all up to you.