Have you seen the intersection between science and social change present within your work or within the Tyson community at large?

I feel like science and social change go hand in hand; they are both about progress. It does get complicated sometimes because science historically hasn't been for everybody ... it hasn't been a welcoming community. Even still, it's hard for a lot of people to feel comfortable and safe in different scientific spaces. Actually, in my psychology class last semester, we had a whole lesson devoted to answering the question: Can scientists be activists? And a lot of people were like, “No, you know, scientists need to be objective. They can't get involved in politics because that's not being objective.” That's absolutely wrong because science and activism are both about making change. It's really important to have informed activism and science is all about informing. Tyson is a lot about social change.

What has been the peak of your summer at Tyson?

I love my team and I love coming to Tyson and working with the people here. It's been an adjustment getting used to a colloquium every day, but I love the workshops that we're doing and the speakers that we're having. I love getting to work out in the field. The biggest thing I love about Tyson is honestly the community. I love that everybody here is open to learning about new things, about people, about experiences, ideas, and new projects. It's so amazing to be in a space where you feel included, where you know that there's space for you. You can take up space at Tyson as long as you make space for other people too.