Schnaude Dorizan, doctoral candidate in neuroscience at Northwestern University
“I had this worry that our green cards could be revoked any minute, so I couldn’t be bad," she said of her childhood. "I gave myself this responsibility of protecting our immigration status by not misbehaving.”
Her family lived in a neighborhood where shootings were almost routine, so she wasn't allowed to leave the house much. But sitting at home, Dorizan loved to read, especially mystery books. And when she wasn’t reading, she was intently watching people.
“I’ve always been an observer in my environment,” said Dorizan. “I sat back and tried to make sense of a person’s behavior. I know this person is a good person, but why did they do this bad thing? I guess those were the beginnings of me becoming a scientist, seeing people interact and taking notes on patterns.”
That scientist impulse brought Dorizan to the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) for her undergraduate degree in psychology and biology. She was part of the Meyerhoff Scholars Program, which supports underrepresented students in STEM fields.
“The program laid the foundation for where I am today, but it was a bit lonely,” said Dorizan. “I seemed to be the only one with my background from an underfunded school in New York City without the opportunities that a lot of my cohort had. The other students knew what a PhD was, but I didn’t. I couldn’t really articulate my feelings of not-belonging at the time.”
