Remy Dou

Remy Dou always dreamed of a science career. That dream, Remy hoped, would be realized at Harvard. He applied. He never heard back.

Remy found a home at FIU and became a biology teacher in Miami. Later, he worked for the White House developing education programs for minority students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

But he wasn’t done with the classroom. Remy wondered why students give up on promising STEM careers. Now earning a Ph.D., Remy pushed to find answers, according to his mentors, Eric Brewe, Zahra Hazari and Laird Kramer of the STEM Transformation Institute.

Together, they discovered students were more likely to succeed in STEM if their peers and their professors offered recognition and helped students see themselves as biologists, physicists or chemists. Their grades didn’t make a difference.

Remy now plans to further his research through a post-doctoral appointment and eventually become a professor.

Not long ago, Remy was sorting through papers in his parents’ home. He came across an envelope with the Harvard emblem. He had been accepted. His parents, fearing the financial costs, thought the dream was out of reach. They hid the letter hoping to protect Remy, a decision they have long regretted. But today, Remy says he isn’t fazed by it. He knows his parents were acting out of love. He found his calling at FIU, a place that allowed him to grow as a scientist and an educator.

By Chrystian Tejedor