The Full Story

An determined researcher with a demonstrated history of championing the advancement of underrepresented groups in STEM. My academic calling focuses on developments that create better materials and recycling systems to address the plastics pollution in the textile industry.

Current Mission

Doctoral Student at Yale University Center for Green Chemistry and Green Engineering

NSF Graduate Research Fellow

GEM Fellow

Enhancing textile recycling systems.
Generating next-generation biodegradable and biobased materials for the textile industry.
Advancing environmental justice through biodegradation assessment tools for new sustainable materials. (Funded by the Laudes Foundation)

LEADERSHIP/ OUTREACH EXPERIENCE

Yale University

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Senator

September 2022- Present

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Committee Member

Identify and address implicit bias, harassment, and discrimination at the university in efforts to create a more inclusive atmosphere and enhance the sense of Belonging at Yale.
Implement activities to bridge communities and celebrate marginalized identities.

FGLI (First generation & Low income) Graduate Student Interest Group President

Mar 2022-Present

The FGLI SIG intends to:

Serve both masters and Ph.D. students with the mid-term goal of developing inter-school networks for FGLI Masters and Ph.D. students across graduate programs.
Fill the students' need for leadership, expertise, and resources.
Build a supportive community.

YCNCC Faculty Search Committee Doctoral Student Representative

Nov 2021 - May 2022

Engaged in the Yale Center for the Natural Carbon Capture faulty search and interview process to providing valuable feedback on how candidates will advance departmental goals related to graduate coursework, justice/equity/diversity/inclusion/belonging, and graduate student mentoring.

Yale University

Texas A&M University

Aggie STEM MentorCorp Coordiator

Aug 2019- May 2020

NSF-funded STEM Outreach project (NSF: 1433770): K-12th
Developed a team of eager undergraduates focused on STEM education by constructing models and conducting experiments using electronics, programming, and 3D fabrication.

Aggie STEM Mentor & Tutor

Aug 2019- May 2020

Empowered students to learn about STEM-related subjects. I participate in leading the classroom and projects that will help students be more open-minded to STEM field careers despite their background.
Utilized 3D printing to illustrate and/or explain the basic scientific process. As a member of the manufacturing team, I designed lab kits for their classes using 3D printers and various tools.

BIIN ESL/Citizenship Class Instructor

Sep 2016- May 2020

Teach civics to about 100 prospective citizens using an established curriculum in a supportive learning environment.
Help students understand the citizenship application.
Conduct mock exams to prepare students for the citizenship exam.

Information, Referrals & Assistance program (IRA)

Aug 2019 - Jun 2020

Provided information to resources in the Bryan-College Station area for translation and interpretation, affordable healthcare, domestic violence support, and assistance in court and legal systems.

FOCUS Peer Mentor

Mentor Aug 2017 - May 2019

Facilitated discussions and activities to develop skills related to self-discovery through personal, academic, professional, and global lenses.

Undergraduate Research Ambassador

Ambassador Aug 2019 - May 2020

Inspire broader engagement in undergraduate research by educating and serving the Texas A&M University community.

Yale University

LAB & ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE

Dr. Karen Wooley's Laboratory

Chemistry Department, Texas A&M University

Chemical Engineering Researcher

Sep 2020- January 2021

Incorporated medicinal functionality into degradable polymers for epidermal application.
Designed regioselectivity into nanostructures.
Established a water purification method with naturally derived polymers that undergo passive degradation for a greener reusable oil recovery technology.

Dr. Wenshe Liu's Laboratory

Chemistry Department, Texas A&M University

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Aug 2018- May 2019

Created small-molecule inhibitors for a protein, involved in the activation of oncogenes, related to acute myeloid leukemia cell proliferation.
Executed experimental techniques of organic synthesis to produce structural variants of a molecule to find a better affinity for the target acceptor on the H3 histone.
Introduced an amino group to the molecule can increase the binding affinity to the ENL YEATS domain, and synthesized a series of amine derivatives.

Dr. Wenshe Liu's Laboratory

Chemistry Department, Texas A&M University

LSAMP Awarded Undergraduate Researcher

Aug 2017- Mar 2020

Orchestrated an approach for a novel technique in cysteine-containing protein ligation that assists with protein ligation directionality and effectively increases protein functionality.
Designed and chemically synthesized a noncanonical amino acid with a photocaged cysteine for the pyrrolysyl-tRNA synthetase incorporation in the E. coli expression system.
Purified the desired compound through distillation and chromatography and analyzed through Proton NMR.
Achieved Site-directed Mutagenesis in two plasmids: a TAG mutagenized site in the SUMO protein of the pETDuet, and in the pEVOL-PylRS plasmid, three areas of mutation in the optimized mmPylRS.
Performed Plasmid DNA Purification from a bacterial culture.

Organic Chemistry I Lab & Lecture

Teaching Assistant, Texas A&M University

Aug 2021- December 2021

Coordinated with Lab instructor/ Lab Coordinator/Lab Managers regarding any concerns with the chemicals or lab safety.
Interacted and mentored undergraduate students.
Designed, prepared, and set up learning materials. Graded assignments within a reasonable turnaround time.

Reads & Counts Tutor & Mentor

Undergraduate Work-Study, Texas A&M University

Aug 2017 - May 2020

Tutored elementary students in efforts to close learning gaps, and improved reading, writing, and math scores of academically challenged students by two grade levels.

Closed literacy gaps in preparation for standardized academic testing, helping the lower 7% move into the upper 23% for proficiency in verbal and math skills.

Industrial Ecology with Professor Reed Miller

Teaching Assistant (TA), Yale University

Aug 2022- January 2023

Coordinated with the Teaching Professor and Lead TA regarding any concerns with the chemicals or lab safety.
Held Office hours where I taught fundamental industrial ecology principles and mentored graduate students.
Assisted with designing and preparing course lectures and assignments and setting-up learning materials for in-class assignments.
Graded assignments within an efficient turnaround time

To see Professional Experinece (Add me on Linkedin!)