Community

Part of what has made me feel like a weirdo (or rebelle) in academia is my continuous commitment to being an active member of my communities while being a researcher. I say rebelle because tradition has it that research scientists ought to be focused on their research only, while every other work is perceived as distracting and unprofessional. Nevertheless, be it a community based on identity (female, scientist, first gen, international), industry (academia), or geography (locality) I have always derived strength from being engaged in my community and a responsibility to give back the support I have received. A lot of my service and leadership is aimed at making academia a more inclusive and accountable community, as well as at trying to get scientists more engaged in their local communities.