Creating Pathways for Underrepresented Voices in Science
The Perot Museum's mentorship program opens doors for minority students
DeShawn Jackson was the only Black student in his advanced science classes at Lincoln High School, and he often felt like he didn’t belong in spaces where science was discussed and celebrated. When he joined the Perot Museum’s Young Scholars mentorship program, he found a community of peers who looked like him and were passionate about STEM—and mentors who saw his potential when others didn’t.
The Young Scholars program pairs high-achieving underrepresented minority students with working scientists and Museum professionals for year-long mentorships. For DeShawn, it meant spending Saturday afternoons with Dr. Amelia Chen, a paleontologist at the Museum, learning about vertebrate evolution while also hearing about Dr. Chen’s own journey as a first-generation Chinese-American scientist. He learned that belonging in science spaces wasn’t about fitting a predetermined mold—it was about curiosity and persistence.
DeShawn graduated as his class’s valedictorian and is now a freshman at Rice University studying biology with plans to pursue paleontology. More importantly, he’s part of a cohort of Young Scholars alumni who maintain connections with the Museum and with each other, supporting one another through college and beyond. Several have returned as undergraduate mentors in the program, creating a self-sustaining pipeline of diverse talent entering STEM fields. The Perot Museum has become not just a place of learning, but a place where students from historically excluded communities see themselves as scientists and innovators.