Jessica Morales-Chicas earned her doctorate in education with an emphasis on human development and psychology from UCLA and is currently an associate professor at California State University, Los Angeles in the Department of Child and Family Studies. Her 20 years of work in education span all levels, from preschool through university. She teaches courses on development, diversity, research methods, and advocacy while researching how ethnic diversity and curricular opportunities affect STEM motivation. A recipient of multiple National Science Foundation (NSF) grants, Morales-Chicas is the principal investigator of an NSF-funded intervention on precalculus success and co–principal investigator of a nearly $1 million grant examining graduate student mental health and academic outcomes in STEM. Her research and community efforts focus on closing equity gaps and increasing access to STEM education.