I am blessed to have been chosen to be part of the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship, a program my college recently joined, which is meant to diversify academia by increasing the number of professors from marginalized identities(especially people of color). As a fellow, you receive a lot of orientation on how to go about applying to graduate school and funding for your last two years of university to conduct research in one of the eligible fields of study. Up until my second year of college, I had never entertained the thought of going to graduate school, let alone striving to earn a PhD. Needless to say, it has been a very soul searching journey in my past few months of being part of this fellowship. The idea of earning a PhD Is steadily being planted in my head and throughout the process, I continue to grapple with questions of what my role would be as an academic and how my work could be meaningful to myself and to the communities outside academia of which I am a part of.
I am on my way back from the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship West Coast Regional Conference, where I had the pleasure of meeting other fellows and see some of the work they are doing. As hierarchical, as bureaucratic and as seemingly lonely as academia may seem at times (especially for first-generation people of color), this weekend I was able to connect in solidarity and support with other researchers-in-the-making who are on similar journeys and really feel a sense of comradery with the people I may be working with in the future. It makes me happy to see that other folks from similar backgrounds are putting in work and claiming a space that was not created with us in mind and shedding light to some of the issues that go overlooked or undermined. Today was a reminder that although it may not always feel like it, I am part of a community of scholars that are trying to make sense of our lives, our struggles and our privileges, and through this, carry out a life of purpose and meaning in academia. For tonight, I feel emotionally replenished.
Although there only select schools are part of the fellowship, I would be happy to talk to anyone about the program! Here are more details: http://www.mmuf.org/