Dr. Malika Grayson (@drmalikagrayson) is a STEM speaker, engineer, and writer who has her PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University where she became the 2nd Black woman in Cornell’s history to receive her PhD in Mechanical Engineering. As an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Alumna Scholar, Dr. Grayson has been the recipient of many awards including the Zellman Warhaft Commitment to Diversity Award, National Society of Black Engineers – Mike Shin Award for Distinguished Member of the Year, Adelphi University’s Top 10 Alumni Under 10 and BEYA STEM’s Modern Day Technology Leader. Since her PhD, Malika has been working in the defense industry as a systems engineer and most recently, an applications portfolio manager. Malika is a STEM advocate and is passionate about increasing the number of minority women who pursue advanced degrees. Her passion can be seen through her blog (@blackgirlsguide2gradschool) where she reviews personal statements and scholarship essays free of charge. She has reviewed over 100 essays and has mentored a number of women through the essay writing process. Through her LLC Steminist Empowered, she has shared her journey as a black woman in STEM on a number of platforms and collaborates frequently with universities to speak on topics including Impostor Syndrome, Mentor/Sponsor Relationships, and Leveraging your Research. Her graduate school experience will be highlighted in her upcoming book. Malika is also a 40 Under 40 Youth Influencer in her home country of Trinidad and Tobago for her work in STEM.

Marcus Brooks is the Team & Leadership Center Coordinator at Cornell Outdoor Education, Cornell University and owns the strategy consulting company, Let’s Brainstorm, LLC, which focuses on women entrepreneurs. He has been engaging in negotiations of various types from a youth growing up in Harlem. He has a focus on helping clients negotiate with vendors, banks, partners, creditors and investors. He uniquely combines his formal business skill sets in leadership, organizational development, entrepreneurship, strategy and finance with his deep passion for human development through the great outdoors and experiential learning. He is an accomplished wilderness guide having lead international trips to destinations as far away as Kilimanjaro. Mr. Brooks received his Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science & Pre-Med and an MBA in Strategy & Finance from Columbia University. Marcus holds an AMGA-CWI and EMT certification.

   Mikaela Spruill

Mikaela Spruill’s is a third year graduate student in the Social Psychology department working and a Graduate Student Affiliate with The Center for the Study of Inequality. Her research investigates how bias at the person-level sustains systemic inequities. She works to understand the cognitive processes and social contexts that help facilitate large-scale racial disparities via policy preferences (i.e. opposition to reparations) and jury decisions (i.e. police indictment decisions). Prior to attending Cornell University, Mikaela earned her MA in experimental psychology from Wake Forest University, and her BS in neuroscience from The College of William and Mary.

Christopher Seiji Berardino

Christopher Seiji Berardino is a Ph.D. candidate in English Literature at Cornell University. His research is concerned with the intersections between Modernism and U.S. Multiethnic literatures. He received an M.F.A. in Fiction from Cornell University and a B.A. in English Literature from the University of California, Berkeley.

Andrea Darby

Andrea is a 2nd year Entomology PhD student in Dr. Brian Lazzaro’s lab. She investigates the impact of nutrition on infection outcome in fruit flies, particularly studying the genetic and physiological mechanisms by which dietary sugar shapes resistance to infection. As a Graduate School Dean’s Scholar and Ford Foundation Fellow, Drea serves the Cornell community and beyond as an E-board member of the Black Graduate and Professional Student association, Co-leader of the Diversity Preview Weekend, and most recently shared her advice and experience applying for the Ford Predoctoral Fellowship at the Ebony Tower Competitive Fellowship workshop. When she is not advocating for diversity and inclusion in academia or experimenting on flies in lab, she likes to play video games, watch anime, read comics, and make cosplay.

Kelly Murray

Kelly Murray is a PhD candidate in the field of Biochemistry, Molecular, and Cell Biology, where she studies pre-mRNA processing in the Pleiss lab. She is a first generation college student and serves as co-chair for the Multicultural Academic Council.

Marguerite Pacheco

Marguerite Pacheco is a rising second year Biomedical Engineering PhD student in the Nelly Andarawis-Puri lab where she studies tendon regeneration. Prior to Cornell she completed her undergraduate degree in biochemistry and mechanical engineering at Smith College. As an involved community member, Marguerite sits on the board of the Latinx Graduate Student Coalition, the Building Allyship Series, and graduate chapter of Biomedical Engineering Society, as well as being an active Dean’s Scholar and NSF-GRFP awardee. Outside of work she dances, boxes, plays soccer, and enjoys her partner’s amazing cooking.