More Than a Numbers Game

More Than a Numbers Game

By Siaje Gideon

Recent biology graduate Siaje Gideon shared her journey as a first-generation college student at CSUSM. Photo by Kirra Robusto

I don't know if it was predestination, but I've certainly known for a long time that I wanted to be a scientist.

I still have the picture I drew in elementary school when I was 8 years old. It's a self-portrait with my dream job scrawled on the paper: "scantist."

I came across that picture not so long ago and, while my spelling has improved greatly since then, the statistics related to the number of Black people employed in science and engineering remain stark. Just 3% are Black men, according to the National Science Foundation. The numbers are worse for Black women like me - just 2%.

But I've never been someone to let numbers define me or statistics deter me from pursuing my dreams.

That's probably a good thing considering I'm also part of another group that, statistically, struggles to complete college - former foster youth. Less than 3% of former foster youth earn a bachelor's degree, according to the Education Commission of the States.

I'm proud that I'm part of those small groups since graduating from Cal State San Marcos in May with my bachelor's in biological sciences. Now I want to help other students do the same and see those percentages grow. Much like me, most just need an opportunity.

It's a lesson I learned from my grandmother, who taught me the importance of simply showing up and taking a chance on someone. In my grandmother's case, she took in my three sisters and me when our mother couldn't care for us.

I'm also grateful to CSUSM for taking a chance on me. At the university, I had the good fortune of being in U-RISE, which is the Undergraduate Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement program. Part of CSUSM's Center for Training, Research and Educational Excellence, or CTREE for short, the U-RISE program prepares talented and motivated underrepresented students majoring in the sciences to enter and succeed in doctoral studies.

Siaje Gideon started a Ph.D. program at UC Irvine this fall to study immunology. Photo by Luna Canham

It was in U-RISE that I met some truly special mentors who stepped up on my behalf.

CTREE and U-RISE have eligibility requirements - and I didn't meet all of them. It's not that I wasn't good at science or passionate about my studies. But my grades weren't at the level that U-RISE requires. I had always been a strong student in high school. I earned a spot on the honor roll each semester and was involved in numerous extracurricular activities. But I struggled when I started college. I wasn't as prepared as I thought.

Fortunately for me, CTREE's leaders looked beyond the numbers (in this case, my grade-point average). They took into account the challenges I was working to overcome and saw my potential. They were willing to take a chance on me. And it was truly life-changing.

Becoming part of U-RISE led me to a spot in the lab of biology professor Dennis Kolosov, who was there for me every step of the way. Whether it was answering a question, meeting one-on-one or providing professional development, Dr. Kolosov was crucial to my development and shaping my identity as a scientist.

The support that CSUSM provides is second to none, from faculty like Dr. Kolosov and Dr. Mallory Rice, who inspire students each day, to staff like Shanelle Watkins, the Black Student Success Initiatives coordinator in the Black Student Center.

This fall, I'm starting a Ph.D. program at UC Irvine, where I will be studying immunology. While I put in years of hard work to get here, my support system at CSUSM was critical in helping me reach this point.

I'm looking forward to helping other students like me in the future, whether through a nonprofit organization to give back to the community in my hometown of Rialto near San Bernardino, or by helping STEM students at CSUSM navigate the path toward their degree.

I know firsthand how important representation is for students of marginalized groups, and I know what it's like to persevere. Each time I have fallen, I have gotten back up. I crawled, walked and ran toward my degree at CSUSM. Now, I want to serve as a positive example and role model to ensure that other students facing similar challenges aren't left behind.

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