Mothers Make it Happen in STEM

Mia Edgerton
September 08, 2021
Mia Edgerton and her daughter posing in front of Christmas presents. Photo provided by Mia Edgerton.
Mia Edgerton and her daughter posing in front of presents. Photo provided by Mia Edgerton.

Moms in STEM go through unimaginable hurdles, as I know firsthand. When I found out I was becoming a mother, my life shifted in ways that I would have never imagined. I constantly feared that having a child would hold me back from reaching my goals in life. Life as I knew it was over and a new life had begun – it was up to me to create our future. It took me some time to learn how to love myself, face my fears, overcome obstacles through faith, put energy towards what I wanted out of life, and most importantly, paint the future I wanted for my child.

Relearning to love the new me wasn’t easy. At the time, I wasn’t married or finished with my undergraduate degree. The dreams I had for my senior year of college felt as if they vanished into thin air. In the midst of these overwhelming feelings, I stepped out on faith to continue my studies, complete my senior year of college, and press forward into my passion of becoming a groundbreaking neuroscientist in the field of stroke research. During this process, I was scared and felt lonely, but the love shown by my family, friends and fiancé was the light at the end of the tunnel. 

"Becoming a mother has made me into a better scientist. Before being a mother, I did science because I was good at it. Now, I do science with a purpose."

-- Mia Edgerton

One of my biggest fears was being judged and shunned by people involved in my educational journey and those in my community. As a woman of color, I feared that I would be labeled as a negative stereotype, a statistic, or flat-out failure. I feared I would face barriers such as sexism and discrimination. But I had the strength to face these challenges because, from the moment I told my fiancé and family, I had their unconditional encouragement to not give up or lose sight of the bigger prize.

While eight months pregnant, I had to travel on planes that took me miles away from all my family to interview for graduate schools and attend scientific conferences. Giving up was not an option. I have been asked over and over throughout my journey: How did I make it? How did I overcome these obstacles? Why didn’t I give up?

One word: God.

God has carried me through the most challenging times in my life, and I genuinely believe that God gives the toughest battles to his strongest soldiers. I am a living, breathing testimony that you can achieve the impossible. God’s perfect plan allowed me to break many barriers, including systemic racism, colorism, sexism and discrimination. It is thanks to God’s grace, mercy and favor that I am where I am today.

Success is a mindset. Did I cry? Yes. Did I whine? Yes. Throughout all the difficulty and doubt, I never quit. Failure happens when you stop trying. If you never try, you have failed by giving up on yourself. It took a lot of prayer and faith to lift myself out of a sense of despair and toward hope.

Becoming a mother has made me into a better scientist. Before being a mother, I did science because I was good at it. Now, I do science with a purpose. I walk strongly and firmly in my purpose because my daughter deserves a mother who strives to be the best version of herself. There are two things that mothers and scientists have in common: we discover things that can change the world and we make things happen.