NSBE - Convention 2018 - 67

But I also was fortunate that, again, employees and employers
in our state were in the engineering and medical fields. I met
people who were engineers but also making drugs, and, fortunately, those programs were trying to get more young people
to spend their summers doing internships in fields that really
intersected with medicine and engineering, which I thought was
a great option for me.
Why were you attracted to medicine? Was it to help
people?
Yes, I've always been focused on community service and helping
others, and I really enjoyed thinking about how to give back. But
when I was trying to enter medical school, (I had) to learn things
differently to succeed in the MCATs. Engineering teaches you
to do things that are much more
about problem-solving, and it's
much more collaborative. Whereas
getting into medical school is
about, "How much can you
memorize? Can you remember this
formula and how to plug into it?"
It's a very different kind of learning
process.

Again, I came to engineering through a series of programs focused on minorities in science and engineering careers. So NSBE
felt like home. Also, University of Delaware had a program
(RISE) that supported all the minority engineering students. And
so NSBE was an opportunity to think together with my colleagues and be responsive and serve others.
When I went to medical school, we had a very similar organization: the Student National Medical Association, which had a
very similar mission focused on minority medical students and issues around health disparities and diversity. And I carried lessons
over from NSBE to the Student National Medical Association,
where I wasn't just a regional board member: I actually ended up
running for national president of that organization. And some of
the core tenets of my presidency in that yearlong leadership role
were really carried over from work that we had done at NSBE
National Leadership Institute
meetings.
Do you still believe in NSBE's
mission?

Absolutely. I mean, every phrase in
that mission statement is still critical today. We need to "increase the
number of culturally responsible
Black Engineers." The "culturally
Has your training as an
responsible" piece is even more
engineer helped you in your
critical than ever, given the presiwork and career?
dential administration and some
of the threats on successful black
There aren't that many engineers
people in our society today. But we
who go into medicine. And so it's
also need to focus on being better.
hard to put my finger on exactly
I always say we have to be better
how that background has helped
than our white peers in so many
me. In some ways, it was probably
arenas that it is really critical to
the hardest path to where I am now.
"excel academically" and "succeed
Engineering is a very rigorous maprofessionally" and to (raise) that
jor. And if I had been more thoughtbar. And then the commitment to
ful about it, maybe I would've taken
community is first. I mean that's
a less difficult path. (laughs)
I mean, I do think that the
"I came to engineering through a why I got so attached to this career
path in public service, because I
training in engineering prepares
you to be a problem-solver, to
series of programs focused on mi- can really "positively impact the
community," not just with the inreally understand how to use
norities in science and engineering dividual interaction as a physician
data, how to leverage expertise
outside of your domain and really
careers. So NSBE felt like home." but also the entire state, or in my
prior role at the Patient-Centered
think about the intersections with
Outcomes Research Institute, the
other fields.... All of that problemcountry.
solving analysis has benefited me
We really do have a lot to do, and having more minorities in
tremendously. I never use P-chem (physical chemistry) anythese roles ensures that we have a well-rounded perspective,
more. I don't think about organic chemistry. I don't think about
that we are the ones who are speaking out for those who are
calculus. So those things are not directly relevant. But I think
most forgotten, most vulnerable, most likely to be discriminated
the general mindset has been tremendously beneficial.
against. And so I think it's a privilege to serve, but we also must
give back as a way to honor those who have sacrificed so that we
Your experience with NSBE: you said it was very beneficial
can be in these roles. ■
to you. How so?
www.nsbe.org

* CAREER ENGINEER * CONVENTION 2018 * 67

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