Producers
Rebecca Fantone
Rebecca (she/her/hers) is a first-year graduate student in the Chemistry PhD program at the University of Michigan. For her research, she is adapting college-level experiments related to sustainable polymers for high school classrooms. Rebecca obtained her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry at Clemson University where she was involved in multiple outreach programs related to science and LGBTQ+ students in STEM as the Secretary of Clemson University’s Student Affiliate of the American Chemical Society and Department Coordinator for Out in STEM. In her free time, she likes to watch TV and play with her cat Obi.
Juniar Lucien
Juniar is a Ph.D. candidate in applied physics conducting multidisciplinary-based research in education under the mentorship of Professor Timothy McKay. Her pronouns are she/her/hers. She is a former Davis United World Scholar and APS Bridge Fellow. She studied mathematics and physics at Agnes Scott College. She is originally from Haiti but has lived in Canada and the US the past 11 years. As a member of the In My Shoes production team, she is hoping that the authenticity of the stories that will be told will validate the experiences of underrepresented populations here at the University of Michigan. She is a gardening enthusiast and a proud parent to 40 houseplants.
Danielle Maxwell
Danielle (she/her/hers) is a first-year graduate student in the Chemistry Ph.D. program. While completing her first research rotation, she used design-based implementation research practices to develop coursework with indigenous populations in Alaska. She is a member of the organizing committee for the Chemical Sciences at the Interface of Education and is a graduate student instructor for general chemistry laboratory. As a person who highly values science outreach and community service, she is excited to be a part of In My Shoes podcast team. Danielle is a Michigan native as her hometown is in Sterling Heights, Michigan. She graduated from the University of Detroit Mercy with a B.S. in chemistry and a minor in leadership. In her free time, she enjoys playing with her cat Minerva and watching Friends on Netflix.
Ayomide Okunade
Ayomide (she/her/hers) is third-year undergraduate student in the school of Literature, Sciences, and Arts studying Biomolecular Sciences with a minor in Judaic Studies. She is a mentor in the Supporting Incoming Black Students (S.I.B.S.) program and in the process of proposing her honors project on the subject of minority experiences in predominantly white institutions. She is originally from Dallas, Texas. In her free time, she enjoys working out and writing.
Melody Sanders
Melody Sanders (she/her/hers), a native of Atlanta, Georgia is an artist, activist, and research scholar. Focused on examining and dismantling societal, institutional, and social constructs that pose barriers to success for minorities in STEM fields, one directed effort of Melody’s work is to make careers in STEM more open, accessible, and inclusive to all. Melody is the recipient of the NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award and is currently a fifth-year doctoral candidate in the Program in Chemical Biology at the University of Michigan. During her time at Michigan, Melody, along with colleague Omari Baruti, founded the organization STEM in Color. STEM in Color is dedicated to supporting the success of underrepresented minorities in STEM. Melody’s leadership responsibilities within STEM in Color have encompassed developing and implementing the vision and mission of the organization, the establishment of strategic partnerships across academic and corporate sectors and creating pathways to success for all participants. Prior to her scholarly work at Michigan and activism with STEM in Color, Melody was employed at Johnson and Johnson as a Senior Scientist. In her role as a Senior Scientist, Melody not only contributed to the delivery of innovative pharmaceutical solutions to healthcare but was also an outspoken advocate who spearheaded and championed multiple initiatives to highlight the accomplishments of and empower scientists from marginalized communities. It was this experience that honed her belief in the fact that one can take whatever craft they are best at and steer that practice towards social justice. As a member of the In My Shoes production team, Melody intends to use this platform as a forum to amplify the voices of those at the margins in an effort to disrupt inequitable practices that perpetuate injustice in higher education. Melody holds both a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Master of Science in Biochemistry from Syracuse University.
Field Watts
Field (he/him/his) is a graduate student in the chemistry Ph.D. program conducting discipline-based education research. He’s an NSF Graduate Research Fellow, a graduate student instructional consultant at the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching, and has been a graduate student instructor for organic chemistry. He is excited to be on the In My Shoes production team to promote the stories and experiences of diverse populations on campus. He is originally from Fort Smith, Arkansas and graduated from Oklahoma State University with dual B.S. degrees in chemistry and mathematics. In his free time, he enjoys reading and running.
Faculty Advisor
Ginger Shultz
Ginger’s interest in education began when she was an undergraduate at the Evergreen State College, where the progressive curriculum shaped her early views on learning. She went on to earn a Ph.D. in polymer chemistry at the University of Oregon, where she also taught hands-on science to elementary school children through an NSF GK-12 fellowship. After graduate school, she transitioned to education-focused research through a teaching postdoc in Chemistry at the University of Michigan. In 2013 she was named a UM Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow and began pursuing educational research full-time. Ginger joined the faculty in the Department of Chemistry at Michigan in 2016 and her group investigates student learning in problem-based organic chemistry laboratory courses, the development of graduate students knowledge for teaching chemistry, and writing-based strategies for learning in STEM.