First-Gen Spotlight: Ashley Albright

Ashley Albright (she/her/hers) is a 6th year PhD student at UC Berkeley whose research interests are centered on regulation of gene expression, scRNA-seq, and early development. If you would like to connect with Ashley, follow her on Twitter @aralbright93! Where do you call home? In reality I'm from a small community in rural North Carolina, but … Continue reading First-Gen Spotlight: Ashley Albright →

First-Gen Spotlight: Amanda Suzzi

Amanda Suzzi (she/her/hers) is a first-year PhD student whose research interests are centered on spatial ecology, conservation, and environmental science. If you would like to connect with Amanda, follow her everywhere @funkepunkemonke! Where do you call home? Baldwinville, MAWhat is a quote that you live by? “If you don't know, the thing to do is not to … Continue reading First-Gen Spotlight: Amanda Suzzi →

First-Gen Spotlight: Emily Arsenault

Emily Arsenault (she/her/hers) is a senior undergrad at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. Her research interests are centered on Neuroscience, MDD, stress, oppressive systems and mental health. If you would like to connect with Emily, follow her on Twitter @emrose_15 and Instagram @em.explains! Where do you call home? Canada 🇨🇦 What is a quote that you … Continue reading First-Gen Spotlight: Emily Arsenault →

First-Gen Spotlight: Derianna Thomas

Derianna Thomas (she/her/hers) is finishing her first year as a PhD student at Northumbria University. Her research interests are centered on Wearable Augmented Reality, Casual AR. If you would like to connect with Derianna, follow her on Twitter @DeriannaThomas! Where do you call home? Newcastle Upon Tyne, England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 What is a quote that you live … Continue reading First-Gen Spotlight: Derianna Thomas →

First-Gen Spotlight: Stuart Haw

Stuart Haw (he/him/your choice) is a second-year PhD student. His research interests are centered on research management of sport organisations. His PhD focuses on voluntary facility management and when facilities are transferred from councils to communities. If you would like to connect with Stuart, follow him on Twitter @haw_stuart! Where do you call home? Peterborough UK … Continue reading First-Gen Spotlight: Stuart Haw →

First-Gen Spotlight: Valeria Barra

Valeria Barra (she/her/hers) is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Colorado Boulder. She received her PhD in Applied Mathematics in 2018 from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Her research interests are centered on Numerical Methods for Scientific Computing. If you would like to connect with Valeria, follow her on Twitter @ValeriaVally21! Where do … Continue reading First-Gen Spotlight: Valeria Barra →

First-Gen Spotlight: Cristina Riso

Cristina Riso (she/her/hers) is a Research Fellow in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan. She received her PhD in Aeronautical and Space Engineering in 2018 from Sapienza University of Rome. Her research interests are centered on the modeling of fluid-structural systems, with a focus on future aircraft designs. If you would … Continue reading First-Gen Spotlight: Cristina Riso →

The Challenges of Being a Post-Bacc Student

In one of my first blog posts, I talked about why prospective applicants should take a gap year(s) before applying to grad school. For those who choose to do so, it can be a great time for discovery and reflection. However, this decision comes with its fair share of challenges. What was most challenging for … Continue reading The Challenges of Being a Post-Bacc Student →

Academic Conferences for First-Gens

Although this post isn't necessarily related to grad school, I wanted to take a moment to highlight academic conferences that are great for first-gens (especially those who identify as BIPOC) to attend. The two that I want to mention are the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) and the National Diversity in STEM … Continue reading Academic Conferences for First-Gens →