For an example of a Worlds Ahead FIU student, you need to look no further than Brianna Pankey, a fourth-year student in the Cognitive Neuroscience PhD program at FIU and Graduate Research Assistant in the Office to Advance Women, Equity & Diversity.

Her research focus involves exploring social psychological mechanisms related to racial biases through the use of cognitive neuroscience approaches. She recently successfully defended her master’s thesis, which explored the genetic contributions to individual differences in implicit race biases. “Beliefs, environment, and genetics interact together, so I’m interested in continuing research further into these concepts of race and social psychology and how our understanding of these ideas differs across various backgrounds and cultures,” she says.

Pankey received her B.S. in psychology with a minor in biology from Howard University. It took her some time before deciding upon a major, due to the breadth of her interests – for example, she worked as a radio DJ in high school and explored film editing. She flirted with the ideas of being an optometrist or a psychiatrist, but was ultimately influenced by her father. “My dad was a very introspective person. People liked to talk to him, and they like to talk to me,” she says. Her father passed away from brain cancer right before she began her undergraduate education, which sparked her interest in learning the processes of the brain.

She is a founding member of the Black Graduate Women’s Association at FIU. She and her friends hadn’t found a group or network on campus with which they could truly connect, but instead of bemoaning that lack, they set about to change it. “As Black women, and as graduate students, we’re all going through similar struggles in our respective programs and day to day lives, so it was important to us to create that support system we needed.”

Pankey was elected president this year, and is looking forward to the role. “BGWA has helped me so much. I look at the group as my family, and I want to pay forward what I have gained from my family.” Plans include increased community outreach, including a local mentoring program for young women of color, and increased visibility on campus through social events and partnerships. “The more people know we’re here, the more people we’ll be able to reach and to help.”

She joined the AWED team because she was captivated by the goals and objectives of the office. They align with her interests, which include representation. She is the only Black woman in her program; however, psychology Associate Professor Dionne Stephens, Assistant Vice Provost of Student Access and Success, Dr. Sonja Montas-Hunter, and her peers in BGWA have been invaluable to her journey at Florida International University. “It can be hard to talk about things and have people relate and understand, especially with the stigma placed on Black women in general to excel above and beyond,” says Brianna. “AWED’s programs are designed to make a change. It’s something new and different that’s going to impact the university, and I am glad I can contribute to that while also spreading the message of the importance of diversity and inclusion.”

Her advice to new students? “Take chances and learn from your experiences. Just be unapologetically you. Everyone’s path is different and your path is your special journey, but at the end of the day, you’ll find people who’ll click with you in terms of what you do and what you believe in and join you on your journey, so don’t let your confidence waver. Be fearless.”