July 19, 2020

Dearest FLI alum,

Welcome to the alumni family! It’s hard to believe that it has already been four years since I left the Farm. Little did I know when I began my graduate studies in the microbiology and immunology department back in 2010 that over the course of the next few years, I would have the opportunity to embrace my FLI identity, support the Stanford FLI community, and forge new friendships with FLI students all across campus.

My start to grad school was a tough transition because I suffered from imposter syndrome, which I developed during college. Never having had the chance to reflect on how my FLI identity shaped my undergraduate experience, I always thought that I just had this personal challenge that I needed to get through on my own. I remember being pleasantly surprised when I learned that Stanford had an office, the Diversity and First-Gen (DGen) Office, dedicated to supporting FLI students. I remember meeting Tommy Woon and Jennifer Rolen (both who are first-gen) and learning about the amazing things they were doing to support FLI undergrads. As a graduate student, I wanted to see if there was bandwidth to also bring together the FLI graduate community.

I was fortunate enough to be selected as a DARE Fellow a year later and through the mentoring program, I realized there was a huge desire from the graduate FLI community to come together and support one another. Using DARE project funds and with the advice from FLIP leaders, a group of FLI grad students from across the different schools banded together to start Grad FLIP, an organization that aimed to support and empower the FLI graduate student community. I remember the first event we held to determine the level of interest in fostering such a community and being blown away that over 50 attendees showed up to the meeting. I also remember looking out to the group and being in awe by the diversity that was present in the room that night. We comprised all of the various visible identities, represented all of the different schools across campus, and we were unified by the shared experience of being FLI. As Grad FLIP, we partnered with the DGen Office and other offices on campus such as the BEAM Center to create programs to support both undergraduates and graduate students.

The mission of ScholarMatch highly resonates with my own, and frankly, it is a resource that I wish I had when I was in high school. After meeting the team at the celebration, I decided to take an active role in supporting ScholarMatch by joining their Board. Last summer ScholarMatch opened an office in Boyle Heights in East Los Angeles, a neighbor to the Lincoln Heights community where I grew up. I took that as a sign that I was meant to be involved with this organization. ScholarMatch has given me the opportunity to stay connected and support the young FLI community both in LA, where my roots originated, and in the Bay Area, where my roots have matured.

As you embark on your next adventures, remember that you have the Stanford FLI alumni community here to support you. When you have the bandwidth to be more involved with the greater FLI community, please keep in mind the opportunities, such as volunteering with organizations like ScholarMatch, where you can mentor the next generation of FLI students. I have found it personally gratifying to stay connected to the FLI community through mentoring the younger generation. Congratulations again on achieving this great milestone. We are all so proud of you!

Best wishes,

Julie Huang, PhD ’16
FLAN Member
https://www.linkedin.com/in/julieyhuang/