“Science is hard and lonely,” says Martin. “Countless times I experienced self-discouragement and self-doubt because I didn’t see people in academia that looked like me or talked like me.”
Minority students such as Martin often find it challenging when pursuing specialized careers to adjust to an environment that traditionally is predominantly White and male. Duke University found that many of its minority undergraduate students enrolled in science majors only to exit the program before graduating. Its graduate students entered at a lower rate but remained in the program longer.
