FLi Sci Scholars Program 

At FLi Sci, we believe in the power of representation, acknowledging the adage, ‘You can’t be what you don’t see.’ And right now, low-income students of color do not see themselves in science. Our programming addresses this disparity by giving students furthest from academic science opportunities agency in exploring research as a career, resulting in a radical shift in the racial and socioeconomic diversity of our future leading scientists.

This mission is crucial because the current landscape of academia reveals a significant gap: Only about 10.1% of U.S. faculty members identify as racial minorities; 25% of science faculty come from households where at least one parent holds a Ph.D.—even though less than 2% of the entire U.S. population possesses a doctorate. And this is because the ability to access the ‘hidden curriculum’ —the unwritten values, norms, behaviors, and tacit knowledge vital for a successful transition into scientific careers—remains structurally inaccessible to many low-income students of color. 

Programs changing the face of science are desperately needed to create a better world: a world where mortality rates for Black women are significantly reduced because more Black doctors are advocating for their health. A world where we have greater trust in advancements in A.I. research because people of color are at the forefront of such research. We aim for a world with a more diverse pool of clinically-trained psychiatrists, cancer researchers, and climate change scientists—a world FLi Sci is committed to creating.