Graduate Students

My motivation to pursue a Ph.D. in chemistry is rooted in both curiosity and responsibility. Growing up in an immigrant family of eight in a poor neighborhood limited my early exposure to diverse career paths. Science was not something I saw reflected in my community, nor were there scientists or physicians who looked like me, making these fields feel inaccessible. That changed when I was 15, when I realized chemistry was more than a class—it was a way to make sense of the world. STEM gave me language for questions I had always been asking and showed me that discovery and problem-solving were within my reach. From that moment, science became both intellectually engaging and personally meaningful. As a Black Haitian American woman from a financially disadvantaged background, navigating academic and research environments has further shaped my goals. I am motivated not only by advancing knowledge but also by the impact of representation. I recognize that I am uniquely positioned to show that individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds can achieve remarkable things, and I strive to be the role model I did not see growing up while contributing meaningfully to science.