Sibrina Speaks

     This morning, I watched a church sermon online, where the pastor talked about the life of the la te  Chadwick Boseman, who is indeed #oursuperhero. Yes, dealing with a lot is so hard. A critically important life lesson is that even in the midst of your most difficult circumstances and experiences, you can still be productive.      I was absolutely heartbroken when I heard the news of his passing. He was so young. For me, this hurts because the movie Black Panther made a significant impact on me personally and professionally. As a chemist an educator, I have focused on connecting with young people and doing my very best to make the chemistry curriculum accessible to the broader community. This type of equity and inclusion work is tremendously hard and why this loss hurts so very much.      After watching movies like Black Panther and Hidden Figures , I somehow felt I had been given the absolute permission to walk in my purpose....

During the Easter holiday, I watched a church service online from a wonderful pastor in the Midwest, whose sermon focused on making a successful comeback in your life, when you face difficult circumstances. He emphasized that there are unfortunately moments in your life, where you may have been fired or dismissed from a job, and that others may believe that you will never be able to accept what has happened to you and move forward. One key point that the pastor emphasized is that you can make a successful comeback without being hateful to others. Specifically, that even a little bit of success is the best revenge. How can you make a successful comeback without hate? Here are some of my thoughts:    (1) Supportive Friends and Family! A supportive network is absolutely essential to make a successful comeback personally or professionally. Everyone needs a supportive space (No Judgement Zone), where you are able to express your emotions and feelings without ...

As the Coronavirus continues to hurt communities globally, we do have some super heroes walking among us, who are working diligently to mitigate the impact. First, let me be very clear. I absolutely love T'Challa, Shuri, Killmonger, Princess Leia and Lando Calrissian. As much as we enjoy watching  block buster films such as Marvel Studios' Black Panther and The Avengers , the real super heroes are amazing individuals we encounter every single day, namely nurses, doctors and scientists fighting for all of us and putting their lives on the line. I have wonderful family members and colleagues in the health care industry that I wish to thank for their tireless efforts to help us. You are appreciated and truly loved. I also want to celebrate employees working practically non-stop in grocery stores and folks delivering products and food to those who need it. Thank you! There are tons of super heroes among us, but I just want to highlight a few. Lawrence Technological Univer...

As the year 2019, comes to a close, I am reflecting on some important milestones for the year. I began 2019 with an interview in the journal Nature , where  I talked openly about moving forward after being denied tenure in academia. Believe me, I do not plan to give more interviews about this difficult experience, but I really believe we each have a responsibility to share parts of our testimony (journey) to help other people going through painful struggles or life experiences. Honestly, I simply wanted to share part of my journey to help someone else. I once read that it is fine to sometimes revisit the past, but you need to make sure you surround yourself with truly supportive friends and family, who will not allow you to live in the past. I am thankful. I had the absolute honor of serving as a keynote speaker this year, where I shared my journey with the next generation of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) leaders at both the University of Detroit-M...

Several years ago as a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Department of Chemistry at Louisiana State University, I read the American Chemical Society's (ACS) publication, Careers for Chemists: A World Outside the Lab, which absolutely changed my life. Prior to reading the book, I assumed that the best career option for me was to be a chemistry professor. This book provided engaging narratives about many career pathways for chemists including, patent law, forensic science, business and science journalism. Thus, after my postdoc, I decided to pursue an opportunity as an editor and writer for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Needless to say, the opportunity with AAAS is the reason that I enjoy writing to this very day! (Honestly, every STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) major needs effective writing skills. You could make remarkable achievements and discoveries in the laboratory, but if you can't communicate your results, what i...