I am a Belizean Mestizo – a descendant of Yucatec Maya and Spaniards. I live in Kentucky, but I grew up the first 26 years of my life within a diverse multicultural society in Belize. My childhood, adolescent, and young adult friends and family were from various ethnic groups that include the Yucatec Maya, Mopan Maya, Q'eqchi' Maya, Creole, Hindu, Taiwanese, Garifuna, East Indian, and Chinese. I am proud of my upbringing, and my cultural heritage. I celebrate diversity. One of my career goals is to inspire and achieve diversity and inclusion in what I say and what I do. I actively seek to include women, diverse minorities, and other underrepresented groups because they contribute invaluable and unique insights and strengths to the development of my goals and program of work as an Assistant Professor of Aquaculture Research and Extension at the School of Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences, Kentucky State University.
Although my laboratory group is small, we actively plan for and engage in inclusion of diverse minorities and women in what we do. Jasmine Iniguez, graduate student for whom I am the major advisor, received support (mentorship and funding) to attend the ‘2022 Women of the Water Conference’ where she presented a poster on ‘The Women and Diverse Minorities of the Aquaculture Program at Kentucky State University’ (Figure 1). We currently employ a young woman (as a Farm Technician) from the Stewart Home & School, a residential school in Franklin County, Kentucky that serves persons with intellectual or developmental disabilities. I have engaged in various workshops and panel discussions related to diversity and inclusion, and I served as a speaker and panelist as a person of color at the Professionals Panel Discussion hosted by the Échale Ganas Program is to increase the participation of Latinx and other underrepresented minority students in natural resource sciences.
As we go about our daily lives and work, remember – if we want to see change, we need to create it. We need to lead the way! Plan for it! And, just do it!