Çîrokbêj: Bradley (he/him/his), 26, Pennsylvania

"When I was in high school, it used to be extremely obvious that there was a lack of racial equity within STEM programs in my school system. I was a CAS/AP student in high school, and I was constantly the only black child in my math and science classes, all my classes really. Being the only black child in my math class in particular was extremely isolating. I was ahead a subject in math, and I remember distinctively being asked if I was in the right room every start of the semester, whether by students, or by the teacher, or both. It was so hard being the only black student, not having anyone to relate to me or my unique experience. It was hard missing out on being with black friends and making memories because I was isolated in a class with people who weren’t sure that I belonged. I will say the only upside to this was that my perseverance, especially in math, paid off for me to help others. I got my first job when I was 15 being an elementary school class assistant for an after-school program at a local non-profit whose demographic was mostly black. Being able to tutor kids in subjects that they struggled with while leveraging our shared identity to bring them to the table and trust me made me realize that I have a unique opportunity to treat black students with respect in these STEM subjects where they may not be getting it in their own schools. I felt empowered to show kids avenues to solving math problems they never knew, using language and euphemisms that were familiar to them and more approachable. With my mom being an educator, I understood that in order to truly reach a student, you had to truly desire for them to succeed and be great, and NOT to show that you’re smarter than them, or that they need you as a teacher, but that they can be great and that the power is already in them, you’re just here to help them reach their full potential. This same concept was easily missing in my own studies. I often times felt in my isolation a sense of inferiority, which led to imposter syndrome. So, you can imagine my surprise when I took my math placement test for my freshman year in college and my results came back saying I can skip freshman math and due to my major, I would not be required to take any more math classes outside the 1 general education requirement. This experience validated me and made me realize that we need to encourage and validate kids more than ever even if they have lots to learn, help them understand that they have the capacity and ability already to do so. When started substitute teaching after undergrad, I was able to cover many math classes and have breakthroughs with my students in ways that I wish my teachers had a desire to have with me. I hope we continue to encourage and empower kids in these subjects, I don’t ever want a child to feel the way that I have."