I welcome and appreciate diversity in all forms and value each individual's unique contributions, including race, gender identity, sexual orientation, neurodivergence, ability, learning style, ethnicity, cultural background, and faith tradition. Yet, students from historically excluded groups, including Latinx, AAPI, first-generation, low-income, and commuter students, face significant barriers to higher education1. Latinx and AAPI students may experience cultural isolation and a lack of mentorship, while first-generation students often need more preparation for academic expectations in college2,3 . Low-income students are more likely to work multiple jobs, dealing with time and financial constraints that impact their academic progress4, and commuter students can feel left out of social aspects of the academic experience5. As an educator, I am committed to continually learning from the varied perspectives of those around me and fostering diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, within the community. In my research in the San Francisco Bay Area and Santa Cruz region, I also acknowledge that I work on the unceded land of the Ramaytush, Tamien Onlone, and the Awaswas-speaking Uypi peoples, grounding my work in respect for Indigenous stewards of these lands.
Justice, integrity, and openness are central to my core values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. I adopted these principles as an undergraduate at Santa Clara University when I volunteered as a tutor at Downtown College Prep in San José and worked with Second Harvest Food Bank. My time at San José State University as a master's student and later as a lecturer solidified my awareness of the specific challenges faced by students of all backgrounds, including food insecurity, commuting costs (time and money), familial and dependent care obligations, high rent, unsafe housing, and working multiple jobs. During my graduate career at UC Santa Cruz, I advanced my commitment to supporting underserved students by collaborating with programs that provide scientific research pipelines. As a graduate student, I have mentored underrepresented and first-generation students, many of whom have since continued to graduate programs or career pathways in their fields. I collaborated with UCSC initiatives to recruit researchers from underrepresented student groups, including the Center to Advance Mentored, Inquiry-Based Opportunities, and the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars programs. I regularly participate in workshops and seminars on DEIB offered by my department and our Teaching and Learning Center, further informing my approach to inclusive teaching and mentoring. I have pursued formal DEIB training, including a Graduate Certificate in Equity-Minded Mentoring, which has helped me reflect and grow as a mentor and educator. I also have a certification in Sexual Harassment Prevention from FieldFutures, a UCSC-developed training program to ensure fieldwork is safe for everyone. While conducting fieldwork, 64%6 of researchers surveyed experience harassment, and one in five experiences assault. It is paramount that people in places of authority are trained to ensure safe field experiences for all.
As a teaching assistant and teaching fellow at UCSC, I use equity-minded practices to support the retention and success of underrepresented students. I create an inclusive environment that values diverse perspectives and individual growth, through Universal Design for Learning and active learning techniques. My courses use team-based and scaffolded learning, encouraging collaboration and step-by-step skill development. I prioritize diverse representation in course materials, such as featuring authors’ backgrounds and organizing job panels with professionals from varied backgrounds, to counter stereotype threat and build students’ science identities. I use Wise interventions7,8 to help students recognize the relevance of scientific topics to their lives, such as prompting personal reflections on culturally significant plants. I cultivate a supportive, engaging, and inclusive learning experience through growth mindset assessments and regular feedback.
As co-chair of the Peer-to-Peer Mentorship Program in my department, I helped new graduate students build community and foster a sense of belonging. This program offers support across cohorts, from one-on-one mentoring to workshops on navigating academic milestones and supporting mental health and wellness. Additionally, my work on our department’s Committee for Community has allowed me to design and promote community experiences, such as an annual graduate retreat, to strengthen our departmental identity and support network.
Cronin, M. R., Alonzo, S. H., Adamczak, S. K., Baker, D. N., Beltran, R. S., Borker, A. L., ... & Zavaleta, E. S. 2021. Anti-racist interventions to transform ecology, evolution and conservation biology departments. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 5:9, 1213-1223. https://doi-org.oca.ucsc.edu/10.1038/s41559-021-01522-z
Ayala, María Isabel, & Ramirez, Christian. 2019. Coloniality and Latinx College Students’ Experiences. Equity & Excellence in Education, 52:1, 129-144, DOI: 10.1080/10665684.2019.1635542
Tseng, V., & Fuligni, A. J. 2000. Parent‐Adolescent language use and relationships among immigrant families with East Asian, Filipino, and Latin American backgrounds. Journal of Marriage and Family, 62:2, 465-476. https://doi-org.oca.ucsc.edu/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2000.00465.x
Radford, A. W., Cominole, M., & Skomsvold, P. 2015. Demographic and Enrollment Characteristics of Nontraditional Undergraduates: 2011-12. Web Tables. NCES 2015-025. National Center for Education Statistics. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED581707.pdf
Thomas, Liz, & Jones, Robert. 2017. Student engagement in the context of commuter students." London: The Student Engagement Partnership (TSEP). http://www. lizthomasassociates. co. uk/projects/2018/Commuter student engagement. pdf
Clancy KBH, Nelson RG, Rutherford JN, Hinde K. 2014. Survey of Academic Field Experiences (SAFE): Trainees Report Harassment and Assault. PLoS ONE 9:7, e102172. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0102172
Walton, G. 2014. The new science of wise psychological interventions. Curr. Direct. Psychol. Sci. 23, 73–82. https://doi-org.oca.ucsc.edu/10.1177/0963721413512856
Walton, Gregory M., & Wilson, Timothy D. 2018. Wise interventions: Psychological remedies for social and personal problems. Psychological review 125:5, 617-655. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/rev0000115