The Chemist That's Giving Hope to Children
“I Am African & I Can” is a women’s empowerment blog highlighting stories of Black women’s struggles and successes.
By Hadiatou Wann | 11/21/20
Recently, Chemist Dr. Yasmine Daniels asked a group of girls she mentors to describe what comes to mind when they think of a scientist. One of the girls described a man in a lab wearing a white coat and lab safety goggles — an image that was also engraved in her mind as a little girl. Because it is a field dominated by men, Dr. Daniels is on a mission to inject confidence in girls so they are convinced they have what it takes to break glass ceilings and become a chemist.
Dr. Daniels was born in Brooklyn, and around the age of 2 was taken back to her mother’s homeland (Saint Lucia) — where she says the education system was strict. At the age of 11, she moved back to New York. Once in New York, she enrolled in high school. She recalls always being involved in science fairs and volunteering at a lab throughout high school.
She got accepted to the scholarship program CUNY Honors College and obtained a cultural passport to museums and theaters throughout NYC and a stipend that allowed students in the program to travel to several countries.
Later, she obtained her bachelor’s in Chemistry with a pre med track at Hunter College. While at Hunter, she met a professor who she says was an instrumental part of her science journey, and whose method of teaching inspired her.
During her final year of undergrad, she applied to graduate school but did not get into her school of choice. Fortunately, she soon realized that instead of studying at another graduate school, she could continue in a minority research program at Hunter.
“What you want to do is sometimes right in front of you. You just have to take a leap of faith,” Dr. Daniels said.
Through the program at Hunter, she once again made a good impression which led her professor to offer her an opportunity to collaborate with a lab in Albi (South of France) that had more advanced laboratory equipment than she had in her lab. Although she did speak a little French, once she arrived in France, she took intermediate French to understand the basics in order to work in the lab without complications.
France, she says, "was big on green chemistry and focused heavily on Environmental Remediation—bettering the environment." At the lab she worked on removing toxic metals from water using modified inorganic polymers, which made salts attract metals strongly.
Upon returning to the states, she continued her studies and earned a PhD in Chemistry. Years later, as she continued to work as a bench chemist, she realized that the experiments she had to do were repetitive and required her to stay in the dark for long periods of time, which made her feel lonely at times.
Mercedes Jackson, Dr. Daniels’ childhood best friend, expressed: “Yasmine is the hardest working woman I know. As if being a full-time wife, mom, and Government employee wasn’t enough, she continues to push herself to not only fulfill her own destiny, but to inspire the people around her to push the limits and work at their highest potential.“
“Her commitment to exposing black and brown children to STEAM is so contagious. The way she connects with children about science is a gift, and her love for others continues to be at the forefront of everything she does,” Mercedes added.
In the past, Dr. Daniels has worked for the U.S. Department of Commerce, and had the opportunity to conduct research, travel, network, and present at conferences. She also worked as a Federal Investigator, which required her to frequently identify chemical and health hazards in the workplace. Now, she works in the area of science policy, where she helps employ laws that protect individuals who may be exposed to health hazards in the workplace.
Despite having worked several jobs, Dr. Daniels always taught at a local college because teaching is what fulfills her the most. A chemist, professor, mentor, volleyball coach, and now an author after securing a book deal this year, she is doing it all. Her new children’s book “Building my Self-eSTEAM in Science” inspires children to go into STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Art). Her success story teaches us that it is our duty to identify our passion(s), excel, and find a way to help others along the way.
Welcome to Dr. Daniels’ World
“I feel like I’m my own competition. I push myself beyond my expectations.”
“What you want to do is sometimes right in front of you. You just have to take a leap of faith.”
“All of my siblings are in STEAM.”
When Dr. Daniels was about 8 or 9 years old, she opened the refrigerator and a Coke bottle rolled out in front of her, and the glass cut through her leg. She didn’t realize the severity of the cut. When her mother rushed towards her, she was bleeding and had to be rushed to the hospital. After a week, she could not wiggle her toes or flex her foot, and was rushed back to the hospital to undergo an emergency surgery. Doctors thought she would never walk normally again. Throughout her childhood, this made her father overprotective and tried his best to keep her away from sports that could get her injured. But she secretly played volleyball in school and won awards. Now she coaches volleyball part-time.
“If you have a professor that can explain to you on a level where it makes sense, it becomes natural to you. I was always the person who was connected to the people. I wanted to teach so I could become the person that I found while in college. ”
Connect with Dr. Yasmine
Facebook: Classy Chemist
Instagram: @classychemist
Email: DrClassyChemist@gmail.com
Click the link to purchase Dr. Yasmine’s new children’s book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1736108212/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild
Read other success stories here: www.iamafricanandican.info/blog
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