Can you describe the faculty mentor program that you are involved in?  How did you first hear about this program? With whom are you working?

I am a Ronald E. McNair Scholar, which is a program that prepares under-represented students to be research scholars and pursue PhDs.  My faculty mentor has been the Dean of Graduate Division, Mary Ann Mason. I first met Dean Mason in the summer of 2006 when I participated in the Graduate Division' s “Summer Research Opportunity Program” (SROP).  SROP is a program similar to McNair in that participants conduct independent research projects under the guidance of a faculty mentor, and present their findings at a symposium.  It was during my participation in SROP that I first had the opportunity to work with Dean Mason, and her research associates. 

I discovered SROP while I was working in CalCorp: “Destination College”, which is a public service project on campus. SROP' s coordinator did a “how to apply to graduate school” presentation at one of our weekly CalCorp meetings, and at the end of her presentation she passed out a flyer about the program.  I scheduled an appointment with her to talk about graduate school and SROP.  To make a long story short, that summer I was in SROP, which literally changed my life and academic career for the better.  

Are you working on a research project?  What effect has this had on your experience as an undergraduate here at the University of California?

I have been working on a research project called Leaking Pipelines: Doctoral Student Family Formation. My project was inspired by Dean Mason' s nationally acclaimed “Do Babies Matter?” project, which looks at the effects of family formation in the life and career path of academic men and women.  Balancing the demands of an academic career, and those of a family are a great challenge—especially for women.  Women pursuing a tenure-track positions, or while on the tenure-track, often find themselves in a position of choosing between advancing their academic careers, or having children; as a result, women, more so than men, leak-out of the academic pipeline.  The primary focus of my study was to explore, through interviews with doctoral students, how family formation affects the life and career paths of men and women while they are in doctoral programs, and how this might contribute to the under-representation of women in the ranks of tenured faculty.  In addition, I made recommendations for university sponsored policies, programs, and services for doctoral students with children, which could assist them in balancing the demands of parenting with the academy.

The experience of conducting research can be a very personal, wonderfully frustrating, and enlightening experience. I believe that every undergraduate should have the opportunity to research something that they have a passion for.  Conducting research at Cal has made a world of difference in my undergraduate career.  I' m well prepared for graduate school; I' m knowledgeable about what grad school is, and what will be required of me; and, I have built the confidence and skills to undertake an academic career.

This fall I' m applying to 6 PhD programs in Education. My life background, in combination with being a re-admit/re-entry, student parent at Cal, and studying at UCB' s School of Social Welfare has made me realize how important higher education is for increasing one' s social and economic mobility.  Hence, I am in a unique and determined position. I have found that what defines my educational goals is who I am intrinsically and fundamentally—a mother, a woman of color from an impoverished background, a person who has found and made their way. As a result I am dedicated to paving the way for others like me, because we have something of value to give.  Therefore, my life' s work centers upon higher educational access.  How can I champion policies, programs, and services that will provide access to higher education for under-represented people so that they too may become their best selves?  My work as an undergraduate is only the beginning of answering this lifelong question and calling. It is my belief that access to higher education can be accomplished through the mechanisms of social and educational policy, which often provide the structural and determinant factors for what is in, or out, of any individual' s reach.