Rebecca Erwin

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		Rebecca Erwin is a senior at West Virginia University from Wheeling, West Virginia. Majoring in chemical engineering with a minor in Spanish, she works as an undergraduate researcher and serves as president of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. She grew up in a space where femininity and art were significant parts of her identity –STEM was a later discovery. Upon entering college classes where men were the dominant demographic, she experienced a strange shame in her femininity that led to self-doubt. With this internal pressure to suppress key components of her identity to belong in an academic space, she became hyper aware of our internal biases against diverse expression in "professional" settings. Rebecca's talk will highlight the need to advocate for diversity not just in.