Mikayla Wilson is a rising senior at Texas Christian University majoring in Astronomy and Physics. This summer she is working with Dr. Ben Tofflemire on a project to characterize a young eclipsing binary system using TESS light curves and near-infrared spectra from the IGRINS spectrograph. She recently sat down with Ben to talk about her career path.
MW: I think I’ve always been the type of person to just do whatever I think is interesting, without worrying too much about the practical side of things. In high school we had “majors”, and mine was Audio-Visual, which is very different from what I do now. But the approach I took was the same one I had for college, I thought “oh, this seems cool, I would enjoy it, so I’m going to do it.” I have liked astronomy since I was younger, but I wasn’t the kid with a telescope who went to observatories or anything, I just thought science was cool. So, when I got to college and astronomy was an option I picked it, and I’m glad I did. I love it so much, and I don’t think that any other major would have been as right for me.
BT: Have there been any specific challenges you’ve faced on your path through college?
MW: I thought about switching my major to sociology during my first semester, but looking back, I think that was more to do with the culture shock and difficulties I had transitioning from my high school. My high school was mostly made up of students of color from low income households, so moving to a private, predominantly white school was tough. I convinced myself my major was the problem, but I’m really glad I stuck it out in the end.
BT: That does sound tough. Tell me more about how you navigated that transition and how you were able to get through it.
MW: It’s kind of weird to think about, but I realized that I didn’t see myself as a minority until I was put into a predominantly white environment. My high school was half black, half Mexican, and going to TCU was so different. Most of the students had been in private school their entire lives and for many of them, TCU was the most diverse environment that they’d ever been in.
At the same time, since I was coming from a public school, there was a gap in knowledge and I felt like I had to catch up to kids that had access to more resources growing up. On top of that, I’m the oldest child in my family and a first-generation college student. It was hard, but at the same time it pushed me towards multicultural groups and clubs that helped me to better understand and appreciate my culture. I finally found spaces with people I could relate to and who could support me.
BT: Are there any mentors of yours that have been helpful or inspiring along the way?
MW: Dr. Peter Frinchaboy is my man! For everything! He has been so awesome. He has been open about his background with me, and I’ve been able to relate to him more than with other professors. I’m so glad I have him as a mentor. There was an activity during one of the TAURUS seminars that gave this long list of different types of mentors you should have, and he was in every section for me, he just does so much, he’s so helpful, and a great professor. He gives great advice, and I feel like he genuinely understands whenever I talk to him about any issues I’m dealing with. He was also my only professor that dedicated class time to have a discussion and to educate students about Black Lives Matter. I feel like in STEM classes nobody does that, so to me, that was really special.
BT: Wow, he sounds great!
What advice would you give to high school and undergraduate students of color who are interested in following in your footsteps?
MW: You have to have a little bit of stubbornness in you. If you really care about it, stick with it because it will work out if you’re putting in the work. There are always going to be people, or messages from society telling you that you can’t do it, so find other students or professors that can support you by boosting up your confidence to keep you moving forward. I can’t say don’t doubt yourself, because I doubt myself sometimes too, but in the end I’m just stubborn as hell, and it’s something that I really want. You can do it!
BT: What are you most proud of?
MW: I would say I am really proud of making it to this point in my career. I never would have imagined that I would have had multiple research opportunities and the chance to be involved in educating people about issues in the field. For a minute, I wasn’t sure I was going to stay an astronomy major. It was a stressful point for me, so looking back now I can see that I’ve learned so much. Even comparing myself to last Summer, I’ve grown as a researcher, I’m much better at coding, problem solving, and it’s just really nice to see that change. Like I said, I doubt myself sometimes, so reminding myself that I’m on a good trajectory, allows me to give myself some grace. I’m just super proud of where I’m at right now and grateful to those who helped me get here.
BT: I agree!
Mikayla will be presenting her research at the American Astronomical Society’s general meeting this January. Mikayla is applying to graduate schools this fall, so make sure to stop by her poster to learn more about this rising star (pun intended) and her amazing work!
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