Shakira Nelson: From Penn State to the NIH

Immunology and Infectious Diseases

Name: Shakira Nelson

Preferred Pronouns: She/Her

Hometown & Current Town: Rochester, N.Y./Bowie, Md.

Graduation Year: BS 2006, Ph.D. 2013

Major & Minor: BS Microbiology; Ph.D. Immunology and Infectious Diseases (Pathobiology)

Additional Degree & Institution: MPH Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health

Current Professional Title: Program Director

Name of Employer: The National Institutes of Health

Brief Description of Your Role: I work in the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, one of the 27 institutes at the NIH. My division is Training and Workforce Development. As a program officer, my job entails managing the training programs we provide to academic institutions across the U.S. These programs focus on providing career, research, and professional development training for students who are interested in pursuing a career in the biomedical workforce. We offer these at the undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral levels. These training programs are grants that academic institutions can apply for. If their application is recommended for funding, they can use the grant to develop training programs that will provide resources and opportunities for students to move through their academic careers and into the biomedical research workforce. Part of my job also entails developing new ideas for programs for academic institutions to apply to. I also help guide principal investigators as they apply for new grants, renew current grant programs, answer questions, and more. In addition, I have a small scientific portfolio where I manage grants, but these are all focused on science.

The rest of my job focuses on keeping up with the current environment, understanding what students are looking for, what programs we can develop, and ensuring there are opportunities for students to pursue their interests. My role aligns with my education and career background but also let’s me focus on training the next generation of scientists.

Why did you choose Penn State?

The summer before my senior year of high school, I attended a program through Kodak, which had a partnership with Penn State. For six weeks in the summer, students from high schools in Rochester would spend time at Penn State. It was an introduction to college courses, Penn State's campus, being a college student, and more. This was also a way for Penn State to recruit us to apply and hopefully matriculate.

After attending that program, it became one of the top schools on my list. I met a lot of great people, including Hank McCoullum, who became a mentor to me. Several of us who participated in that program ended up attending Penn State, which also allowed me to have an established friend group when I got to Penn State. It created a welcoming and friendly environment for me.

What inspired you to pursue your degrees?

I've always been interested in science, particularly at the micro level. In high school, biology was my favorite class.

I started as a biochemistry major, and I chose that because of the bio part. However, I quickly realized that chemistry wasn't my thing, and I didn't get along very well, but biology and I were best friends. I switched to microbiology and was able to thrive in the program. I enjoyed all my classes and worked in two different labs as an undergrad. That helped me make the decision to pursue a Ph.D.

I took two years off after college and worked in Washington, D.C. alongside Ph.Ds. This experience helped me see the career opportunities that were out there. In graduate school, I pursued a degree in pathobiology in the College of Agricultural Sciences in the Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences. I decided to pursue that because of how much I enjoyed immunology classes and working in an immunology lab as an undergrad. I got really into studying signal pathways and understanding mechanisms within immunological cells.

As a graduate student, we did three or four rotations before choosing a lab for our work. I chose to work with Dr. Sandeep Prabhu. How he framed his projects and where he wanted his lab to go aligned with my desire to study immunology more in-depth. It was a great blend of what he was offering and what I was looking for.

What clubs, organizations, or leadership roles were you involved in?

When I was an undergrad, my initial career goal was to go to medical school so I joined the Student National Medical Association. It was an organization focused on students of color who were interested in going to medical school. It gave us opportunities to connect with medical school students, learn about programs that granted exposure to hospitals and medical settings, discuss relevant issues within the medical field, and see what going into medicine allowed as a profession.

When I came back for graduate school, I joined the Black Graduate Student Association. For my last two years, I served as president of the association. It was a nice opportunity for me to get involved in things on campus at the graduate level. I got to meet with so many other student organizations, meet with Penn State leaders, and more. Having that exposure made a positive impact on my graduate career. It gave me skills that I didn’t necessarily have the opportunity to gain from being in a lab.

What is a favorite Penn State memory?

As an undergrad, my favorite memory is the first home football game I attended as a freshman. You hear about how big football is in the small town of State College, but you don’t get it until you're in the midst of it. Seeing all the RVs coming to town and all the families and fans was overwhelming but exciting. As a freshman it was just exciting being part of that atmosphere.

As a graduate student, my favorite memory is when I gave my dissertation. I can remember that day very clearly. It felt good to be able to talk about the science I had worked on for more than four years and have my colleagues and friends there. My parents also came to town. It was exciting to show off what I had done, what I had learned, and show the outcome of the hard work I’d put in.

How has your Penn State education influenced your career?

Being at Penn State, I pushed myself to try to do things outside of my comfort zone. That's how I got into the leadership positions with the Black Graduate Student Association. To this day, it helps me to push myself in my career, to challenge myself and not get too comfortable. When my work becomes too comfortable, I start to get the itch to challenge myself further. Is there a position for me to apply to? I think that frame of mind started at Penn State as a graduate student.

I don’t like to be complacent. I like to challenge myself and I like to see what's new out there and how I can be a part of it and contribute to it.

What are one or two of your proudest accomplishments in which your Penn State education played a role?

Getting my Ph.D. is definitely one. I didn't know what a Ph.D. could allow me to do or that it would even be of interest to me. Being able to pivot from wanting to go to medical school to wanting to go to graduate school and then accomplishing that and leaving with a Ph.D., it's one of my biggest accomplishments. It also opened the door for me to do a post-doc at the National Cancer Institute, which was a fellowship program I was accepted into. The only reason I found out about that program was that one of the thesis advisors I had on my committee shared it with me. Because of that fellowship program, I got exposure to what it's like to work at the NIH. It ultimately led to everything I've been able to do since my post-doc. I think I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be.

What has been the best advice you’ve ever received?

Learn to get out of your own way. There are a lot of times that opportunities come up and you don't think you're qualified or a good fit. We tell ourselves "no" before anyone else. I have had to learn how to get out of my own way and I encourage people to do the same. The only way we'll have success is if we give ourselves a chance. "No" is often the worst answer we can get, but we shouldn't be telling ourselves that. We need to put ourselves out there.

What collegiate advice or professional development tip would you give to a current student?

Students need to know they have a voice, have autonomy, and that they're the captains of their own path. Ask questions, push back.

Many students are the first in their family to go to college, or may feel a certain responsibility to do certain things. I like to remind them that the path they're on is theirs alone, and they have to take advantage of all the opportunities that are best for them. Don't just do things that will benefit someone else because you think that is what you have to do.

You can change your mind. You can switch majors. You should go where your heart and desires point you.

Why are you proud to be a Penn State Ag Sciences alum?

I'm proud because of the passion and the work ethic it has instilled in me as a professional in the workforce. I have experience at other institutions, but the amount that I learned at Penn State is substantial, and it has had such a positive impact on my career and in my life.

Being in the College of Agricultural Sciences as a graduate student was tremendous for me. I've come back for alumni activities and met other graduates from the college, and it blows my mind that of all the things that Penn State offers, there's so much we can take and put into a solid career. Being able to talk with other alumni and hear their stories makes me proud to know I’m one of many making an impact across multiple sectors of the workforce.

I'm also proud of the fact that the work we do reflects the education and mentorship we received. The fact that there are a lot of alumni who come back and engage with the college and do activities outside of our jobs, serving as recruiters, speaks to the impact we felt as students and what we want current students to also experience.