MENTORSHIP is key! In fact, while I was still a master's student at this university, I attended conferences and networked with other minority mathematicians. I felt I needed to be in a more supportive departmental environment. It saddened me when I realized that some were discouraging me because I am a woman of color from an HBCU. I encountered many professors who were very discouraging. My advice to African Americans looking at graduate schools is to choose a school only after thoroughly exploring the policies and philosophies of the department and the research areas of the faculty. Unfortunately, I learned a few lessons the hard way. Thus, my whole graduate career was funded.īeing an African-American woman did not become an issue until I went to graduate school for my master's degree. In addition, I received a dissertation fellowship from the Southern Regional Education Board. I decided to accept the offer from the Packard Foundation and became one of a small group of scholars from historically black colleges or universities (HBCUs) pursuing doctorates in mathematics, chemistry, and physics. I also received honorable mentions from the National Science Foundation's and the Ford Foundation's predoctoral fellowship programs. I was offered fellowships from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the National Physical Science Consortium, and the National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science. It was an invaluable experience, and I am grateful to all my teachers, friends, and mentors at Xavier.īecause of my grade point average and involvement in extracurricular activities, I was offered many fellowships that focused on increasing the numbers of minorities in mathematics, science, and engineering. I was named in Who's Who Among Colleges and Universities in 1992-93 and graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. My education was my first priority, but my involvement in extracurricular activities and community service was also very important to me. As a college student, I maintained a well-balanced life. There I received the mentorship, the encouragement, and the foundation to later seek a graduate degree in mathematics. It was one of the best choices I have made in my life. Xavier University of Louisiana is where I chose to pursue a B.S. The encouragement and nurturing I received from my family and teachers inspired me to pursue higher degrees and contributed to my overall success. Their faith in me motivated me to be a hard worker and high achiever. My teachers unceasingly fostered my interest in math and demonstrated their confidence in my mathematics ability, regardless of my race and gender. If that passion is not nurtured and encouraged by family and teachers, then it will die. I excelled in almost everything in school, but no other subject excited me like mathematics! It seems as if I have ALWAYS loved math! I believe that a passion for mathematics is ignited while very young. Throughout my school years, I was blessed to have teachers who cared about my success and about me. in environmental engineering and is also a college professor (like our mother). is special because I finished in the same summer as my beloved brother. (It's been cited that children raised in single-parent homes may not attain higher than high school diplomas.) My Ph.D. And despite being the products of a single-parent home, both my brother and I have been successful. My grandfather and my brother served as male role models in my life. My mother is a woman of faith, courage, and strength it is from her that I derived my inspiration and motivation. As a single parent, my mom raised my brother and me, worked a full-time job, and (through encouragement from my family) went back to school to obtain her master's and Ph.D. Although I grew up in a house with extended family, I grew up without my father. My biggest inspiration is my mother, Leslie B. My family instilled in me the faith and confidence that I could do anything I set my mind to do. Although I lacked material wealth, I had an abundance of riches in terms of family, love, and encouragement. It has been said that Louisiana has some of the worst school systems in the nation, but I did not let that deter me! The lifestyle of my family was very modest financially. From kindergarten through grade 12, I attended public schools. I was born into a very loving and supportive family in New Orleans, Louisiana.
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