Success Stories: Dion Paul
Success Stories:
Dion Paul
I first met Dr. Holmes at the SuperComputing Conference (SC13) in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she was leading a workshop as part of the Broader Engagement program. This workshop would change my life. I was fascinated by how Raquell brought science, play and improvisation together, and experienced how looking through this lens allowed people to seamlessly engage with one another.
I believe that science is only as good as the impact it has on others and the way we can bring it to life in a meaningful way. Working with Raquell helped me to understand my own work, how to have fun with complex situations and how to meaningfully communicate my work to others. Her representation of minorities and their impact was also vital to me.
I am a computer scientist, an engineer, a husband, and a father to two lovely kids. I was born in Trinidad, studied at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), and now live in New York. I am now a Program Manager at Google. A black man in this position is a rarity in this field and I needed support in accepting and navigating this role, so I reached out to Raquell. Her coaching helped me grow confident in my own abilities, to know my value, to believe in my true voice and that I can accept all the good things coming my way.
I will be forever grateful for the connections that Raquell created for me: my work at the All Stars Project, doing science demos (sharing the magic of virtual and augmented reality), and my association with the Global Play Brigade. I helped create the website and treasure my connection with the international community of Brigadiers.
As I said, meeting Dr. Raquell Holmes was life-changing!