FAQ

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

WHAT IS YOUR BACHELOR'S OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN?

Aerospace Engineering with concentration in astronautics, and a minor in computational mathematics from ERAU!

HOW DO YOU MANAGE THE FINANCIAL SIDE OF ACADEMIA/STUDYING?

For undergrad, I had about 3/4ths of my tuition paid for by the school or through loans (I have less than 20K in loan debt now for perspective). To fund the rest, I applied to scholarships from my university (bigger $) and through national organizations of which I was a member. Included were the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), Women in Aviation, Intl. (WAI), Soc. of Women Engineers (SWE). My grad school tuition is paid for, and I receive a stipend through GTA. I am still applying for fellowships and scholarships. Fellowships I suggest are: Graduate Edu. for Minorities (GEM), NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP), Ford Foundation (FFF), National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate fellowship (NDSEG) and NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunity (NSTGRO). There are plenty more but those are ones I have applied for. I have won the NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunity Fellowship/Grant and the  GEM fellowship thus far. 

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO YOUNG WOMEN OF COLOUR WANTING TO PURSUE CAREERS IN STEM ACADEMIA?

There is so much I can say. I try to answer something new every time. On the feature tab, there are links to a few articles where I disucss this so if what I say here is not enough, feel free to peak through those! But one of the important pieces of advice I have received as a WOC in STEM academia is: trust yourself enough to do what you were chosen to do there, and trust yourself enough to ask for what you need and want. It is imperative that you are your own best advocate! I also discuss this topic on my blog.

HOW DO YOU RETAIN THE INFORMATION YOU LEARN IN CLASS?

That's a great question actually. I find the same exact thing happening to myself and I thoroughly hate it. I would say make sure you're not just studying/learning to earn an A. Don't get me wrong, the grade is important but when you only study the night before you are only giving yourself a chance to learn material at a shallow level. But when you take even 5 min a day or an hour a week to review the material you have previously learned, you may find that you are understanding at a much deeper level. I am still working on this myself.