How did you become interested in STEM?

I became interested in the Geosciences when I got invited to go to a Geoscience conference in Seattle. I met so many people who were so passionate and engaged in the work they were doing. I eventually worked my way into getting into Williams College from my community college in Louisiana. I learned that I could use geoscience as a way to learn and also give back to my community by doing research on how coastal land loss is affecting my tribal community.

Who are your mentors?

My two main mentors are my chief, Shirell Parfait-Dardar and Ronadh Cox who is a Geoscience professor here at Williams. Ronadh is the person who got me to the conference and helped me on my journey to Williams. They have both been there every step of the way helping me to improve and grow.

What words of wisdom would you give to students interested in STEM? 

Science can be a very intimidating thing to learn, and sometimes it can feel like a big mountain to climb, like a lot of things in life. But every step gets you closer, and the more steps you take, the more you begin to learn and make connections. Don’t be afraid to charge right through a door of opportunity, you never know what waits for you on the other side.

How did you become interested in STEM?

I was a carpenter for over 10 years, trained by my grandmother Nancy who was a skilled polymath. My passion for building things by hand carried into my hobby as a 12-year-old, where I repaired and experimented with vacuum tube amplifiers and power inverters. My homeland, the Navaho Nation (Diné Bikéyah), has a nuclear history as well. Our abundance of uranium, deep in the mountains and hills on Navaho land, led to heavy extraction for building the US nuclear arsenal during the Cold War era. I learned about the physics of ionizing radiation in middle school to understand the hazards and uses of uranium. That is how I became interested in the utility of physics. Many of these cautions surrounding uranium were topics of local public health and safety in Red Valley, Arizona, a community in my region. Through the lens of physics, it was easier to build my own machines and fix them. So, I was recruited to build battery electric vehicles and robots at my first university job at Utah State University. That’s how I became officially involved and employed in STEM as a teenager. Now, I mentor PhD students in nanotechnology fabrication at work.

Who are your mentors?

My first mentor was my maternal grandmother, Nancy E. Benally. She trained me in mathematics, carpentry, farming, silversmithing, blueprinting, and linguistics. Ever since I learned to communicate with words, she began teaching me about the world, taking me everywhere she went. My second mentor is my boss, Distinguished McKnight University Professor Jian-Ping Wang. He is the Director of the Center for Spintronic Materials for Advanced Information Technologies and is a Robert F. Hartmann Chair. While recognizing the importance of my native culture, he encourages me to explore my interests at work, where I built nanomagnetic devices, quantum chips, and brain chips. My third mentor is Dr. Delin Zhang, a former postdoctoral researcher on my research team. We worked together for years in the quantum spintronics lab when I joined in 2018. We developed hundreds of nanomagnetic chips over the years for our research and that is one thing that fueled my interest in quantum technology.

What words of wisdom would you give to students interested in STEM?

Feel free to explore the resources available, especially if you have access to equipment. Try to also explore all the mistakes you can make along the way. These mistakes are critical for developing a growth mindset. Mistakes are part of the experimental process, so don’t feel discouraged. As you grow, do your best to tell a story about your work. Stories are what impacts people the most and they are an opportunity to expand on your communication skills with the world.

Anything else you would like to share?

My career path is very unconventional. I never really expected to become a scientist in the quantum research field, but it happened as a result of keeping myself busy with my passion for designing and building things. It seemed like carpentry was going to be my life’s work from the beginning and now it has changed to something still useful. So, if you ever feel like you are losing focus, just take a breath and stay busy.

How did you become interested in STEM? 

I’ve always been interested in the STEM field. I did not think it was possible at the time because I did see anyone that looked like me achieve what I wanted to do. I looked into different career paths and thought I’d try Engineering. I earned good grades and kept going. Before I knew it, I was close to finishing and I was motivated to finish and make my family proud.

What words of wisdom would you give to students interested in STEM?

I came from a community where achieving a Bachelors degree is rare and I never received any specific advice from anyone; with that being said, I reflect on two sayings I remember to this day: “Do your best.” and “Keep going.” Turns out, those were the best things I could hear at the time. I did my absolute best and I kept going. It took sleepless nights and countless hours of giving my time. Was it worth it? Absolutely.

Anything I would like to share?

Yes, the STEM field isn’t easy; take that from someone who grew up herding goats and chopping wood to burn for warmth. Take that from someone who didn’t immediately know anyone who did what I wanted to do. Keep doing your best and keep going. I received a career offer to work with one of the largest, if not the largest, aerospace company in the world with a science associate’s degree and a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from a public university from a small college town in Arizona. I went for the same career along with others who went to top schools, received a higher GPA than I did, and wore expensive suits to the same job interview. I ended up receiving the offer ten minutes after the interview. Keep going and do your best.

How did you become interested in STEM?

My bachelor’s degree is in biochemistry and I was always interested in science and healthcare in particular. I initially went to school for Chemical Engineering but did not feel passionate about the field. I then took an organic chemistry course and knew I needed to switch my major to biochemistry. I worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) for over 20 years and worked in the Chemistry Division working on several projects throughout my career.  I have been involved in tutoring, mentoring, science fairs, and conducting chemistry workshops to inspire other Native American Indians to pursue careers in STEM fields.  After I received my bachelors of science, I set a goal of getting a doctorate and realized my dream later by obtaining a Naprapathic Medicine (spinal alignment through connective tissue and nutrition) Doctorate, fueled by wanting to make a difference in people’s healthcare. I do not have any regrets about how long it took to come to this moment in my journey. Sometimes the path you are on leads in directions that only strengthen you for a future task.

Who are your mentors?

My mentors were my mother, grandparents, high school chemistry and physics teachers, scientists at LANL.

What words of wisdom would you give to students in robotics?

I think life is full of “opportunities” for growth. If you treat every experience with that in mind, you will become a lifelong learner. Perseverance and patience are key when working in a STEM career.  No one experiences success with their first experiment. It takes practice and learning from your failures and never giving up. Here’s a quote I particularly think about: “Success is not an accident. It is the result of hard work, learning, perseverance, sacrifice, and most of all, by loving what you are doing or just learning to do.” – Pele

Anything else you would like to share?

I think it is very important to choose a career in something you are passionate about. It drives you to do your best and you receive such joy and satisfaction by doing what you were meant to do.