Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Here at UVa, I've been involved in a few DEI oriented groups. I was one of two graduate student representatives on the department DEI committee. We sought to raise graduate student pay, create clearer TA guidelines and more equitable TA assignments, and diversify our student body. I also participated in biweekly DEI discussion/book club where we sat down to talk about an essay, article, website, podcast covering topics from allyship, systemic racism, transformative classrooms, and activism. I am still growing in my understanding of the structures and institutions we live under and hope to make meaningful changes in my communities.

Outreach

I value outreach in my community. As a part of the Gender Minorities in Physics (GMiP) chapter at UT, I volunteered at various UT and public events. I loved interacting with kids and parents alike at these events. Often, the kids would be interested in whatever gyroscope or polarizer I had in front of me while the parents pretended to be looking elsewhere. But once they started hearing their kid's excitement and the interesting physics behind these everyday objects, I could see them start to lean in and listen too. I think science should be accessible to all people and that's why I find these public events so important to engage in- we are fostering science literacy and enthusiasm both in current and future generations. 

Group photo of all the 2019 GMiP members at one of our weekly meetings

Photo taken during a Star Party on the roof of the PMA building at UT Austin. We had cool demos, liquid N2 ice cream, and lots of city light pollution □