Growing up in a small town in Georgia, Talithia Williams loved playing pretend, but in all her imagining, she never saw herself as a statistician. She knew those people existed, but no one who looked like her did those things, so it never occurred to her it was something to aspire to. Fortunately, her high-school AP Calculus teacher, Mr. Dorman, told her she should major in math in college. His affirmation planted a seed that changed her trajectory. She was accepted to Spelman College and awarded a NASA Women in Science and Engineering scholarship. There, she was exposed to African American women with PhDs in STEM and consequently went on to earn her PhD in statistics from Rice University. Today, she is an associate professor of mathematics and mathematics clinic program director at Harvey Mudd College.
Amstat News
The Membership Magazine of the American Statistical Association