Award Recognition
Inclusion and Advocacy
Dahiana Peña is being recognized for her co-contributions to the Department of Biological Sciences with Monique Slowly. An integral part of Biological Sciences’ new DEI committee, they provided important insight about undergraduate experiences in the department and the critical need of improvement -- particularly through creating, administering, and summarizing a survey for all Biology majors last semester. Additionally, they were part of the leadership core of a separate grass-roots group, Biology Trainees Against Exclusion. In collaboration with PhD students, their work has already directly created the Black Undergraduate Mentorship Program with the Black Alumni Council and funding from the Provost Office.
I am incredibly honored to have been selected for an award. I would like to thank Monique Slowly for all of the work she has done alongside me while serving as an undergraduate representative in the Biology Department's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. I am grateful to the graduate biology trainees who have taken a sincere interest in supporting the education of underrepresented minority (URM) undergraduate students and to the faculty who have taken the time to listen and learn from our experiences. I am most thankful to all of the URM undergraduates in STEM who have consistently supported me and one another, demonstrating utmost resilience and brilliance.