Angel: I always wanted to attend OU but being a first-generation student who was raised in a single parent household, I never felt like my dream would be actualized. In my junior year of high school, I attended Henderson Scholars Leadership Conference, and again, I fell in love with OU and the campus. During this visit, I was able to find a community and people with resources that helped make it possible for me to attend. Now as a senior, it’s surreal to reflect on the substantial impact OU has made on my life, and I’m grateful that I’ll be an alum from this university.

Kamryn: I’m from Missouri and my high school always takes seniors on a trip to a different state in our area, and on this trip, we tour the schools, landmarks, and museums in that state. My senior year, we toured OU... and I fell in love, so I applied, was accepted, and committed by January.

Angel: We provide members with opportunities to meet and connect with graduate students and professionals in desired STEM fields through panels every semester. We also hold study night events, guidance for standardized MCAT or GRE testing, and hands-on learning opportunities for pre-medical students like our suture event sponsored by The Princeton Review. Members are also provided discounts on MCAT and GRE prep courses. Most importantly, we provide community and emotional support to members through check-ins and open discussion during our general body meetings.

Kamryn: Black Girl White Coat has given me a platform to reach out to different people working in the Norman and Oklahoma City area in STEM fields, and this has helped me meet and connect with inspirational women and mentors.

Kamryn: There are many things you must do to succeed as a STEM major, but many people think it’s just about studying hard. However, there’s more, like involvement, internships, shadowing, and volunteering. Too many minorities, particularly women of color, find out too late and find themselves behind in application cycles. This can be discouraging. Our organization helps our community see these requirements and gives them the opportunities to fulfill them.

Angel: There are three mission goals for BGWC. First, to provide a safe place for Black women on OU’s campus in order to promote academic success, growth in leadership, and build each other up in order to be better equipped to confidently pursue a STEM career. Second, to cultivate and empower Black women on OU’s campus through fellowship and discussion meant to bring attention to and work against the obstacles Black women face in STEM. Finally, to provide a support group to encourage mental health and relief of stress that comes with the high academic demands of the STEM world.

Angel: During my freshman and sophomore year, I noticed I was often one of a few students of color in my science classes, and even a fewer amount of us were Black women. I saw that there were clubs for students pursuing STEM, but none of these clubs were geared toward women of color. One day, I told a friend how nice it would be to have a community of students like me that I could lean on and vice versa during our journey through challenging classes, intense application processes, and fierce test taking. After that conversation, I knew I had to start something. With the help of faculty, I registered the organization with OU and created an executive team made up of my classmates.

Angel: We have volunteered with OU Children’s Hospital, OU Food Pantry, the Norman Food and Shelter, and the Alzheimer’s Association in Oklahoma City.

Kamryn: Soon, we will offer affinity cohorts to connect undergraduate students with STEM graduate student and professionals.

Kamryn: I would like to see our organization reach more areas on campus besides pre-med and pre-dental, and to see it make an impact for our Black women studying areas like data analytics, math education, and information science.

Angel: The biggest goal is longevity. Longevity will ensure future students will continue to find a community of people just like them who are fighting the same fight and enduring the same hardships. We plan to develop an in-depth mentorship program and find better ways to provide students with the resources they need to succeed in their journey to a career in STEM.