Outside the Binary: Chineye Emeghara’s STEAM Scholarship

“Dehydration synthesis: lose a water, add a bond!” This was the catchy tune my eccentric freshman year biology teacher would sing to my class. Given that even now, it bounces around in my head from time to time, I’d say she did an outstanding job of igniting the flames of my passion for Biology. I’ve always been interested in the world on a molecular scale, and although I deeply enjoyed her class, it did little to satiate my curiosity for the field. That’s why I joined my high school biology club as a freshman. There, I was free to explore my interests and bombard my teachers with questions. I couldn’t believe that there was a space for me to not only gain knowledge in biology but also test new theories through research. That’s how I knew and still know that a career in clinical lab research is the perfect fit to facilitate my thirst for biological knowledge. The groundbreaking discoveries being made through biological research make it the ideal career path for my aspirations. Growing up, I had never been a fan of my voluminous hair, constantly commanding people’s attention. The world’s judging eyes turned my confidence into shambles, and I had no idea how to pick up the pieces. It wasn’t until my junior year, when I joined my high school’s Black Student Union (BSU), that I discovered what it meant to embrace my natural hair as a core part of my identity. Cassie Dume, former president of BSU, was a huge catalyst in changing my mindset on hair. She taught me how a confident, smart Black woman like herself could embrace her identity and encouraged me to adopt that same mindset. Now, as an officer of BSU myself, I carry on Cassie’s legacy in helping young Black people learn to embrace their hair and cultural identities through leading discussions on discrimination, dissecting the stigma surrounding Black hair, while validating their feelings of vulnerability. Cassie gave me the gift of her courage and taught me how to be confident in sharing my vulnerabilities with others; how vulnerability is not a weapon to be used against but rather a source of healing. In every new environment I enter in my life, especially in the STEM communities I enter, I want my community to not only feel seen but have a voice and safe space to be vulnerable with their own journey of self-love. Black is beautiful, and if I can help more people believe that, I will have done my part in helping my community. For as long as I can remember, choir has been a part of my life. There’s no world in the multiverse I can begin to imagine where I’m not singing for the rest of my days. Choir started out as a low-stakes hobby but quickly grew into a space for me to expand my musical ability. Not only have I dedicated hours to perfecting vibrato and stretching my range, but I have gained a community of people that share my core values and cherish singing just as much as I do. The thrill of singing is what brought me to choir, but the strong sense of community is what made me stay. Furthermore, my role in Syncopation, a selective acapella group, has led me to seek a close-knit group to call family at UT Austin. I found what I’ve been looking for in the co-ed acapella group, Noteworthy. This group of strangers formed a lifelong bond through their shared love of music. With the values I gain from UT Austin and the intimate communities brewing throughout campus, I know I can apply this knowledge to numerous other aspects of life. Collaborating effectively and learning to treat others with respect, compassion, and love in a team are important ways to promote kindness and unity in a world already so divided. Although it may be a small way to change the world, every small act can accumulate into a huge catalyst for change. With the guidance of communities at UT Austin, I can instill these traits in other communities to slowly change the world for the better and be the first domino in one big domino effect.