The 2021 cohort of GEM Fellows is the largest ever at Rice University, which for the first time includes a professional master’s student.
The National GEM Consortium brings together a network of employers and universities toward the goal of recruitment, retention and graduation of underrepresented minorities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics graduate programs.
The awards include full tuition and fees, stipends and internships and vary based on the level of recognition — GEM Full Fellow, GEM Associate Fellow and GEM University Fellow. Since 1976, GEM has supported over 4,000 Fellows.
The 2021 cohort of GEM Fellows are as follows:
GEM Full Fellows
Caira Anderson
Ph.D. in Computational & Applied Mathematics
Employer: Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
Wesley Combs
Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering
Employer: The Aerospace Corporation
Raven Johnson
Ph.D. in Computational & Applied Mathematics
Employer: Lawrence Livermore National Academy
Joshua Samba
Ph.D. in Applied Physics
Employer: 3M Company
Kayla Vokt
Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering
Employer: Medtronic, Inc.
GEM Associate Fellows
Alejandro Aguilar
Ph.D. in Statistics
Kevin Beckford
Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering
Maximilian Cobos
Ph.D. in Civil & Environmental Engineering
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Imari Fletcher
MBE-GMI in Bioengineering
Employer: NASA Headquarters
Tia Gray
Ph.D. in Materials Science and Nanoengineering
Pictured above, Top row: Caira Anderson, Wesley Combs, Raven Johnson, Joshua Samba, Kayla Vokt; Bottom row: Alejandro Aguilar, Kevin Beckford, Maximilian Cobos, Imari Fletcher, Tia Gray