I tell my students, ‘When you get these jobs that you have been so brilliantly trained for, just remember that your real job is that if you are free, you need to free somebody else. If you have some power, then your job is to empower somebody else. This is not just a grab-bag candy game.’
—Toni Morrison (from The Truest Eye)
My experiences as a female, ethnic minority, low-income, and first-generation college and PhD student have given me a valuable perspective as I mentor and teach the next generation of students, especially those from underrepresented minoritized backgrounds. Several of my past and ongoing mentorship, diversity, and outreach efforts are highlighted below.
Mentorship
I am strongly committed to recruiting, supporting, and diversifying the next generation of scientists. In addition to mentoring students in psychology and neuroscience research (many of whom are from underrepresented backgrounds), I have participated in initiatives and curated resources that promote equal access and preparedness for graduate education more broadly. I have advised undergraduate students on researching and applying to graduate programs as part of the UCLA Alumni Mentor Program and UNC Pre-Graduate Education Advising Program.
As a graduate student, I published 10+ peer-reviewed articles and received $147,000+ in research funding. I attribute many of these successes to the generosity of my mentors and colleagues, who read countless drafts, sat through practice talks, and taught me the ins and outs of what it takes to survive and thrive in academia. They are my biggest cheerleaders, and I am now here to be yours.
If you are interested in psychology and neuroscience research, I’d be happy to:
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- Discuss my personal or professional pathway
- Share my application materials to graduate school or relevant funding and training opportunities I’ve applied to
- Provide general advice or specific feedback on drafts of applications or papers
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» Email: kathydo [at] unc [dot] edu «
Diversity & Student Success
In collaboration with the UNC Graduate School’s Diversity and Student Success (DSS) program, I have participated in and led several events for three university diversity initiatives aimed at supporting the success of (1) racial/ethnic minority graduate students (Initiative for Minority Excellence), (2) first-generation graduate students (Carolina Grad F1RSTS), and (3) Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) graduate students.
I served as an Advisory Board member of the Carolina Grad F1RSTS initiative from 2016-2020. I also co-founded the APIDA affinity group in 2017 and served on the leadership team from 2017-2020. In these roles, I helped organize and lead networking and professional development events for underrepresented graduate students. Programming topics included: navigating family relationships as a first-gen graduate student, graduate funding opportunities for diverse students, APIDA representation and inclusion in higher education, and APIDA mental health.
Science Outreach
To increase awareness of STEM research, I have collaborated with local middle and high schools to coordinate annual brain academies, first as a lab manager at UCLA and then as a graduate student at UNC. At these brain academies, middle- and high-school students are invited to the lab and exposed to basic psychological and neuroscience concepts, preserved animal and human brains, the MRI scanner, and hands-on psychological experiments.
To improve science communication with the broader community, I have also contributed to the UNC Science Writing and Communication Club’s online blog, The Pipettepen.
