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Vanderbilt’s Medical School is housed in the Medical Center and shelters the training of both medical students and the biomedical graduate students. Lucky for me, half of my friends in medical school were graduate students. One of these friends is Kimberly Mulligan Guy. She has a dynamic personality and has never met a stranger. As smart as she is beautiful, she commands the room in professional and social situations. In June 2015, shortly after I had given my notice, we talked on the phone, just to catch up. During the call, she said, by the way, I’ve just been offered this opportunity to move to Abu Dhabi. She expressed her apprehension to moving to a new country, coordinating this move with her husband and transitioning her job in Nashville to the Middle East. Should she go, she asked… my response… Ummm, Yeah!
Dr. Mulligan Guy received her PhD in Molecular Physiology and Biophysics from Vanderbilt. After graduation, she took a position as a Resident Scientist in the Center for Science Outreach where among other duties, she investigated the impact scientists positioned full-time in a public school have on secondary education and student interest in science. These are the skills she carried with her to the students in Abu Dhabi. During her time there, she not only learned about the education system and culture in the United Arab Emirates, she had the opportunity to travel to Thailand, Egypt and Spain.
After her return to the States, she has accepted a position as the Director of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs in the College of Sciences and Mathematics at Auburn University. This position allows her to continue to make sure students have the best opportunity to seek their dreams and fulfill their life goals. We recently reconnected in Toronto and as with any good friend, it was if it was only yesterday (instead of two years ago) since we saw each other.
Today we talk with Kimberly Mulligan Guy about living and working abroad as a scientist and educator.
- Tell us a little about yourself.
My father was in the army when I was young so I was born in Colorado Springs, however home is Columbia, SC. I’m the second oldest of five siblings. Both of my parents attended an HBCU and I loved A Different World (I actually still love it, the topics are relevant even in this day and time) so the only real decision was which one I would chose.
If you would have asked me in high school which college I was attending I would have said Xavier University in NOLA (we could have met in undergrad!). However, circumstances led me to make one of the best decisions of my life which was to attend Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University (FAMU) in Tallahassee, FL where I was a chemistry major. My original plan was to become a medical doctor but as a sophomore one of my professors asked if I would work in his laboratory. I needed some extra money (what college student doesn’t?) and it would look great on my medical school application. Little did I know I would fall in love with research and that one opportunity would change the trajectory of my career path.
- How did you decided to pursue a PhD in Molecular Physiology and Biophysics?
Vanderbilt University has an Interdisciplinary Graduate Program which allows you to conduct research in different labs during your first year prior to deciding which department you would join. The one piece of advice I always give students considering graduate school is to choose your advisor wisely. I didn’t choose a field, I chose a mentor who would allow me the space to figure out what I wanted to do with my degree. I knew going into graduate school that the traditional route of academia might not be for me. The process of science excites me but what I find most fulfilling is helping young people, especially students of color, fall in love with science. My mentor allowed me the freedom to pursue activities which supported my passion. I’m grateful for his recognition there’s more than one way to be a scientist because I had classmates who did not have the same experience. My work with the Vanderbilt Center for Science Outreach during my time in graduate school directly led to my opportunity to work in Abu Dhabi.
- How did you come across the opportunity to work in Abu Dhabi?
The Vanderbilt Center for Science Outreach has had several very successful collaborations incorporating “real-world” hands-on science into K-12 classrooms. Vanderbilt University already had a partnership with the Abu Dhabi Education Council for a leadership program and when they expressed interest in expanding their STEM programs our office was excited for the opportunity.
I wasn’t included in the original conversations, I don’t think anyone considered I would be interested in moving overseas. My husband was taking me to Barbados for my birthday in June and prior to my leaving I had a meeting with the Director of our office. In passing, I mentioned what a cool opportunity this was for my coworker. While on vacation, I received an email stating I would be perfect for the position but they didn’t think I would be interested in moving but let’s talk when I returned. Fast forward one month later (after numerous conversations with family and friends) I’m packing to move to Abu Dhabi.
- What were the most challenging aspects of living and working abroad? What were the most rewarding aspects of living and working abroad?
Many of the challenges we experienced while assisting in getting a STEM program off the ground in Abu Dhabi resulted from preconceived notions. You devise a STEM curriculum (which is heavily dependent on what you assume the students have already learned), order your supplies, and train instructors the week before school starts. What could possibly go wrong with this plan? What didn’t is the better question! But I feel many of the issues resulted from not having a good grasp of the school culture going into the situation. I lived in Abu Dhabi full time with another co-worker. Because the people from our office who coordinated the efforts had only visited, I don’t know if they were aware enough to fully prepare us for the challenges we experienced. However, I loved every minute of it and if I didn’t learn anything else, I had a priceless lesson in the importance of being flexible!
I was very fortunate that my husband had a career which allowed him to move with me. The move would have been much more difficult if we didn’t have the opportunity to share in the experience together. We had the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people from all over the world. It was interesting because I was there for the better part of the election cycle. To be able to discuss the rhetoric regarding the Muslim faith with the students and faculty I worked with, to experience the hurt with people I cared so much about, but also be a voice to reassure them all Americans don’t think that way gave me so much hope. The students and faculty I worked with were so inquisitive about my culture and always eager to share theirs with me. I was able to attend Mosque with a coworker during Ramadan, I experienced an Emirate wedding, and went to an iftar for my birthday with a group of friends. Not to mention the beautiful places we were able to visit for the price of traveling from Atlanta to San Diego.
- How do you counsel your students on balancing life, work and adventure?
The lessons I hope the students I work with take away from their time with me are to find their passion and make it their career; surround themselves with people who have similar goals and push them to be better; never be afraid of failure; be fearless, especially when it comes to seeing the world; and don’t let money dictate your path. Mistakes happen, things don’t go as planned, but you learn from them and keep moving. I want them to live their lives with no regrets and remember to have fun!
