Student Feature: GT-EQUAL Providing Bridge for Underrepresented Students to Pursue Graduate Studies When Alexa Dobbs faced periodic challenges during her first year of graduate studies at ChBE, she was grateful for plenty of support from faculty and fellow students through the GT EQUAL (Graduate Training for Equality in Underrepresented Academic Leadership) program.
apply to Chicago State University, along with Thomas which his brother had attended as Pho. She first heard a veteran. With scholarship supabout the Bridge port, Amezcua completed his BS in Program through a chemistry there in 2018. professor who menHe came to Atlanta in fall 2019 tored her during her to work as an engineering laboundergraduate studratory technician for KEMRON ies as a chemistry Environmental Services. The move major at Fort Lewis here was partly motivated by his College in Colorado. desire to be close to Georgia Tech “She knew I was and other universities where he Native American. Alexa Dobbs could potentially We’re from pursue graduate the same studies in order to tribe and had been in advance his career touch throughout the “I’ve really appreciated the support in industry. years. In my senior system,” says Alexa Dobbs, now a second-year grad student. She When he year, she urged me to received tutoring when she needed learned about the explore Bridge proit as well as professional developBridge Program grams as she believed ment support from professors and through an ACS it would be a good fit the mentorship of another gradue-mail he received for me.” ate student who was paired with as a society memher. “They’ve been really helpful in ber, he knew there Second Cohort navigating issues.” was a possibility he Fidel Thomas Pho could join Tech. Amezcua, GT-EQUAL is one Students like who started of two sites at Georgia Amezcua and other Bridge felas a Bridge Fellow in Tech for the American fall 2020 (along with low need to be better represented Chemical Society’s in graduate programs across the Sydney Wimberly), (ACS) Bridge Procountry, according to Bridge Prosays he is grateful gram, which aims to gram leaders. that GT-EQUAL adincrease the number In 2016, about 12 percent of mitted him as a nonof PhDs in the chemi10,000 BS degrees in chemical traditional student. cal sciences that are engineering went to students from Now 35 years old, awarded to Black, underrepresented groups. Only a Amezcua dropped Hispanic, and Native fraction of these students entered a out of high school American students. PhD program in the Sydney Wimberly and GT-EQUAL enrolls chemical sciences. obtained two Bridge Fellows annually who will his GED four years According to earn a thesis MS in chemical engistatistics from the later. He attended neering while receiving full funding, National Science Cuyumaca College in extensive support, mentoring, and Foundation, 5 San Diego, California, training to prepare for success in a percent of doctoral on and off for years PhD program. degrees in chemical while working jobs in engineering awardconstruction, mainteFirst Cohort ed in 2018 (44 nance, fast food, and out of 981) went Dobbs, who aims to go into inretail. to students from dustry after completing her PhD, was Looking to start underrepresented one of the two Fellows in the inaugu- over, he moved to Fidel Amezcua groups. ral year (2019-2020) of GT-EQUAL, Chicago and decided to 6
SCHOOL OF CHEMICAL AND BIOMOLECULAR ENGINEERING, GEORGIA
