Kryshawna Beard
She/Her
I am a lesbian and I am a neuropharmacology graduate student. //
In undergrad while I was learning about Fourier transforms and neurotransmitter signaling, I was also learning a lot about myself. My experiences growing up in a medium-sized city in Kentucky not only prepared me to be a graduate student at an Ivy League university, but also solidified an acceptance of myself as a black lesbian woman. The support of my family and friends throughout my journey guaranteed my success. Reading the works of Audre Lorde, Angela Davis, bell hooks, and other radically intelligent women of color affirmed that my existence in academia was not just an accomplishment but a necessity. My openness about my queerness has only increased upon moving to Philadelphia to graduate school, and I’m truly thankful that I get to have this experience in such a welcoming city. Where my PhD will lead me is uncertain, but what I know is that I am absolutely here for increasing the visibility of POC and LGBTQ scientists in a field that has historically kept us invisible.