It was very symbolic that the fifth topic of the course resonated with the first: sense of belonging. This time the focus was on possible ways I as an instructor could help my students feel that they belong to the class and to the STEM track. I personally know how it feels to be an outlier: I was a foreigner 40 years old woman in grad school in New York. I appreciate my mentors and professors that helped me to feel like I belong, taking time to understand my Belarusian accent and finding my ideas interesting.

Since then, as a professor, I already make sure that my underrepresented students feel welcomed and accepted.

Dr. Flores and Dr. Byrd discussed the importance of presentation of students of color in STEM fields. I’ve learned specific strategies that will help me to support students in their pursuit of scientific careers. Some concrete ideas are to introduce them with scholars from underrepresented groups (adding their pictures to the slides), or class activity that asks students to focus on their values through their identities. I will add to my syllabus the commitment to intersectionality and diversity statement [Adapted from Fuentes et al., 2020] that Sadaf shared with the group.

There are still things for me to learn. I want to educate myself on cultural differences that I may not be aware of, to make sure I foster an inclusive and safe environment that will encourage my students to pursue their education and help them to feel that they belong.