FLi Sci

FLi Sci started almost by accident. In 2020, I went looking for an organization to volunteer with — literally Googling "nonprofit offering science opportunities to low-income students" — and found a glaring absence. So I built a website: nothing more than a repository of information for students like the one I had been. Over the years of my Ph.D., that little website exploded into a national organization.

Today, FLi Sci is a national nonprofit helping first-generation/low-income (FLi) students pursue careers in science (Sci). Our flagship Scholars Program is a multi-year, paid research fellowship in which students design and conduct their own independent research projects — and the organization is growing into what I always wished existed: the landing page for any young scientist born in an environment without adequate resources, so that a fair chance at this wonderful career doesn't depend on luck.

Since its founding, FLi Sci has reached more than 180 students across the country and raised over $1.1 million in grant funding. Along the way, this work has been recognized with fellowships and awards including Echoing Green, Camelback Ventures, the Roddenberry Fellowship, NewSchools Venture Fund, EdLoC's Boulder Fund, the Pahara Fellowship, and the Claneil Foundation's Emerging Leaders Fellowship.