Name:
Leonard Alfredo Harris
Position Title or Student Involvements:
Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Arkansas
What degrees have you obtained or are working on?
B.S. Chemical Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO Ph.D. Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
What does it mean to you to be a first-generation student/graduate?
Being a first-generation student means carrying the hopes and dreams of your family on your shoulders. It means always wondering if someone knows more than you or has more experience than you because of connections they have that you don’t. It means accomplishing goals and encountering challenges that no one in your family can fully understand or appreciate.
Why is being a first-generation student/graduate important to you?
As a first-generation faculty, I can relate to and empathize with challenges that first-generation students encounter in a way that others cannot. That kind of representation is critical to recruiting and retaining first-generation students and helping them succeed. As a first-generation student who’s made It to the highest levels of academia, it’s important to me to share advice and insights from my experiences to help others.
What piece of advice would you give to first-generation students?
Don’t be afraid to ask questions and reach out to faculty and fellow students for help. Yes, there are challenges that you will face that others won’t, but you can overcome them. Be confident in yourself and embrace your status as a trailblazer in your family. You’re doing something special that matters to you, your family, and other first-generation students you’ll encounter later in life.
Is there anything else you would like to share about yourself that you feel is important for people to know about you?
I am Hispanic-American and the first American-born member of my family. I am also the first member of my family to obtain a Ph.D. degree. I am strongly committed to advancing minority representation in STEM and hope to contribute to diversity efforts here at the UofA. I’m always available as a resource to students and encourage anyone to contact me if they have questions or need advice.