This was my first time attending SACNAS and I am incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to do so. On the first day I attended, a mariachi led a procession of attendees from the keynote speaker’s event to the exhibition hall with recruiters and graduate program representatives. As an indigenous Latinx woman I am often not in spaces where my culture is represented. Seeing a part of my culture not only being showcased, but also being used to lead students into a space where connections for a brighter future would be created and where there were countless opportunities for taking a step to achieve career goals was beautiful and inspiring to me. 

The goal of the SACNAS conference is to equip, empower, and energize students from underrepresented minorities in STEM to obtain advanced degrees, build their careers, and bloom into leadership positions with opportunities for research presentations, professional development, and networking in an environment that is all inclusive. This conference truly embodies its mission. Every day presented new resources, new opportunities for building connections, and unique workshops for adding skills and knowledge to my tool kit. 

Additionally, I was able to see a few of my mentors at the conference. One was part of a graduate student seminar that discussed the importance of STEM education and creating an equitable environment where students from all backgrounds can thrive. As a teacher myself, this seminar gave me ideas I could incorporate into my curriculum to ensure my students can achieve optimal success and be able to apply the skills I teach in computational biology workshops into their classes and their future scientific endeavors. I was also able to meet with my scientific research mentor to get additional advice and guidance for my masters thesis. 

One of my favorite parts of the conference was being both an exhibitor and participant in the graduate program fair. Being behind the Berkeley MA in statistics booth provided me with the opportunity to talk to community college students and undergraduates about the amazing programs and resources Berkeley has to offer. I had many wonderful conversations with students about my undergraduate experience at Berkeley, research opportunities, and my graduate student experience. As a participant I was able to speak to PhD students, program directors, and faculty members for the PhD programs I am applying to this cycle. They provided me with resources to get peer mentorship on my application materials and since then, one has also followed up with me about attending a computational biology conference she is helping plan.

Overall, at SACNAS I felt included in a space with people who, like me, are underrepresented in STEM, and are working on the cutting edge of scientific discovery, pushing boundaries, and breaking barriers to achieve their dreams and make the world a better and more equitable place. I hope to go back again soon to present my own research and continue to be inspired by the wonderful community of groundbreakers.