What do superstars Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Lopez, and Jim Carrey have in common? Their careers were launched from the 1990s sketch comedy show In Living Color. Created and written by Keenen Ivory Wayans, the show deliberately featured a diverse cast. The content and the cast were open to all backgrounds while being based in the black community. The hit show served as a talent incubator, especially for people of color who had been overlooked by much of the entertainment industry. In Living Color alumni have enjoyed success in comedy, film, live theatre, television, music, and dance.
STEM in Color, a new organization founded at the University of Michigan, is applying the same idea to professional development in STEM, centered on underrepresented minorities, and open to people of all backgrounds, races, genders, religions, orientations, and abilities.
STEM in Color provides networking and professional development for all career stages – undergraduate, graduate, post-doc, and professional. Development is geared to facilitate transitions not only within academia but also from academia to other fields including industry, business, and law. To this end, STEM in Color will cultivate a rich network of leaders in STEM fields and beyond including entertainment, film, music, and sports.
From leaders of their respective fields, particularly people of color, members will learn about different paths to success, and how to chart their own path by bringing their authentic self to the challenges and opportunities at hand.
STEM in Color is the brainchild of Mel Sanders and Omari Baruti. Mel and Omari began discussing professional development between experiments in the research lab where they are both graduate students.
Prior to graduate school, Sanders completed her Master’s degree at Syracuse University and worked at Johnson and Johnson as a senior analytical scientist. Currently, she works with companies in the pharmaceutical industry as well as with public healthcare agencies to support efforts geared towards women’s empowerment, continuing diversity, and bridging partnerships between government, industry, and academia.
Baruti earned a four-year undergraduate research scholarship at Morehouse College and currently provides business consultancy for the nonprofit miLEAD Consulting with clients in biotechnology and biopharmaceutical companies. Both Sanders and Baruti approach graduate school with a wealth of personal and research experiences.
From those vantage points, they identified that STEM education in the academy, across all levels, is effective for developing technical skills and, in many cases, critical thinking and problem-solving. These skills are necessary, but insufficient, for long-term careers in STEM.
Sanders and Baruti recognized through their conversations that hiring managers in academia, business, law, and industry, recruit individuals who have the ability to communicate to a diverse audience, and possess technical, leadership, and interpersonal skills.
These conversations in the lab morphed into biweekly lunches. The lunches grew naturally with more scientists joining each time. Sanders and Baruti decided to formalize the structure, mission, vision, and culture of the group. At the time of their first official event, the group already had 35 members.
The inaugural STEM in Color event featured Cherie Dotson, Ph.D. from University of Michigan’s College of Pharmacy. Dotson received the 2017 Distinguished Diversity Leaders Award and, after sharing her own career path, led participants in a discussion of their individual journeys to and through STEM and the challenges that lie ahead of them.
The speed with which the organization grew into a formal entity highlights one of the key pieces of the culture of STEM in Color. No matter one’s current position, anyone can make meaningful contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion. This organization empowers members to do just that.
STEM in Color may have been founded at the University of Michigan, but the needs addressed are common across the country.
The organization at the University of Michigan is intended to serve as the founding chapter for what will eventually be a national association. Group leaders anticipate that one day there will be STEM in Color chapters across the U.S. Currently, individuals to serve in the new organization’s executive and advisory boards are currently being selected from within the University of Michigan as well as other schools, businesses, and organizations.
Current priorities include planning and securing additional funding for the spring 2019 symposium which will be held in Ann Arbor. In the meantime, members can look forward to biweekly lunches resuming this semester. The first event of the fall was a luncheon with a guest speaker and panel discussion on navigating from academia to your chosen career path held Tuesday, October 23rd.
To learn more about STEM in Color, follow them on Twitter @STEMinColor_ or get involved by contacting [email protected].
The University of Michigan’s First-Generation initiative will host a week-long series of events in support of first-generation college student success, beginning October 29-November 2.
Supported by the Office of Academic Multicultural Affairs (OAMI), Office of New Student Programs (ONSP), Comprehensive Studies Program (CSP), Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs (MESA), and the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (ODEI), the inaugural First-Generation Student Week provides opportunities for the University community to engage with, and learn more about First-Generation students at the University of Michigan.
“Whether it’s being the first in their family to go to college, leading the way for other students, or taking on leadership roles across campus, first-generation students blaze the trail in many ways,” says Adan Hussain, First-Generation Project Manager. “First-Gen Week celebrates the different ways that first-gens are pioneering across higher education and highlights the resources available to them on campus.”
The culmination of the week-long activities will take place on Wednesday, November 7 from 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. with the First-Generation Symposium: Blazing a Trail to First–Gen.
The symposium will engage the campus community by promoting the success and impact of first-generation students at the University of Michigan, while also noting the challenges that these students face.
“First-Gen students may experience imposter syndrome, burnout, and issues navigating higher education, which are both commonly researched and stated concerns of first-generation students,” says Hussain. “There are programs throughout the year to help address the challenges of first-gen students, but the First-Gen Week and Symposium put a significant emphasis on showcasing the ways that first-gens leverage their resilience to succeed at a premier institution like the University of Michigan.”
This year’s symposium encompasses four core components: understanding first-generation students and their intersecting identities; teaching and advising; data, evaluation, and assessment; and admission, retention, and graduate success.
Registration for the First-Gen Symposium runs through November 2.
To Learn more about First-Gen Week and Symposium, visit firstgen.studentlife.umich.edu.
View the 2018 Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Summit recap for an overview of central and unit events that took place in October 2018.
The University of Michigan is committed to preventing sexual misconduct and supporting those who report it. Sexual assault, harassment, discrimination or any form of sexual misconduct have no place on any of our campuses — in Ann Arbor, Dearborn, Flint or at Michigan Medicine. It’s up to each of us to report it; support those who come forward; participate in training programs, and to be an advocate in every situation.