IMMA DEFEND THAT My dissertation defense is in 1 week! 1 FREAKING WEEK! It’s hard to describe how big of a deal this is in the life of an academic. For me this is not just another step toward living my academic dreams; Or the end of my time as a student; Or the culmination of the last 6 years of my life. This is a celebration of surviving the psychological and emotional warfare that the last 10 years as a first-generation, Black woman in the academy has brought. I dedicated my PhD to the little girl in photo 2. That little girl never really learned how to dream, but that never stopped her from trying hard things. That little girl spent a lot of her life never feeling good enough. That little girl is me... But she is also every other little Black and brown girl who is continuously overlooked and underestimated. That little girl could never have imagined getting to this point... And even as I write this I am in disbelief that I am about to accomplish this monumental feat. Photo 1: @pedalhomie ——— IMMA DEFEND THAT Fri., April 23 at 10am CST Zoom link in bio if you would like to attend my dissertation defense seminar. This a public viewing, and as such, I invite any and everyone to attend. Science is meant to be a public process; I believe that everyone deserves to see that process in real time. #blackintheivory #blackscientistsmatter #blackinstem #stemeducation #womeninscience #diversifystem #diversityinscience