Dr. Kamilah Dickson

We sat down to have an interview with Kamilah Dickson, but we weren't nervous because she worked with our clubs before and we were familiar with her. Kamilah grew up on Long Island, New York, in a town called Melville. As a young girl, Kamilah felt that she could not achieve something because of her gender. In elementary school, teachers discouraged her by not calling on her and favoring boys. However, she mentions one teacher who called only on girls such as her, which encouraged her not to lose hope. Today, she still feels that there is bias against women and not as much encouragement to pursue dreams as much as men. Kamilah said that her older sister and mother were her mentors as she grew up. They helped and encouraged her, but presently she hopes to have a mentor to help her along her educational path.

Growing up, Kamilah had always wanted to become a doctor. She wanted to help people and enjoyed science in school. She loves the whole process of researching. Kamilah's dad influenced her to pursue a career in science. As a doctor, her dad showed her new things which she thought was cool. By learning science and volunteering, Kamilah's interest in medicine grew over the years. So far, the achievement that Kamilah feels most proud of is getting admitted to Harvard University. Currently, Kamilah is in her third year at Harvard. As a student, Kamilah's responsibilities include studying and learning in school. However, Kamilah also has a part-time job as a research assistant working in a lab. When she graduates college, she will be earning an Honors Bachelor of Arts degree in Neurobiology. As a Research Assistant, in the fall Kamilah will be working on her thesis on Alzheimer's Disease and memory. Kamilah finds that it is difficult to be a woman and have a career in science, especially in classes. She finds that this kind of discrimination against women gets frustrating.

Now, looking back to when she was younger, Kamilah regrets not reaching out and asking advice from older people. She regrets not asking people questions about their experiences and how they went through things. The older she gets, the more she learns that people want to help her along and will not be bothered by her questions. When asked whether she has achieved her goals and dreams yet, Kamilah replied that she had not. Hopefully, soon enough, we will be calling her Dr. Kamilah Dickson.