Shanise Walker looks back at her early education with gratitude, in which she saw herself reflected in the math teachers she encountered. As of 2018, women only made up 29% of all mathematics doctorate recipients, and members of underrepresented minority groups only made up 8%. She remembers her time in middle and high school with a particular fondness, during which about half of her math teachers were Black women. Although Walker didn’t have a particular interest in mathematics at the time, her teachers – and especially her eighth-grade teacher – saw her potential. As she transitioned from middle to high school, the mathematics she encountered became more challenging and exciting. With the support of her teachers, Walker began exploring the subject further, quickly realizing both her aptitude and love for mathematics.

Things changed for Walker as she entered her undergraduate education. As a first-year student at the University of Georgia, she realized how little representation there was for women and people of color in the greater world of mathematics. Despite this, Walker found mentors who helped her move through the world of academia, including professor Leslie Hogben. Hogben encouraged Walker to pursue her interest in mathematics outside of the classroom by participating in a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU), which proved to be a turning point in Walker’s career.

Up until the REU, Walker planned to become a high school math teacher, chiefly because of her own positive experiences with her past teachers – however, she had never explored the world of math research. The topic of the REU was graph theory, which was new to Walker at the time. “It was fascinating,” she recalls. Within the first few days of the program, Walker was able to identify problems in the field that hadn’t been solved and that she could wrestle with. The experience opened up a whole new world to Walker that she was eager to explore. And with new confidence, she realized, “I could do this.”

Determined to pursue mathematical research, Walker turned back to Hogben. She told her mentor she wanted to earn her PhD and become a math professor but she didn’t know what she needed to do to achieve that. “[As a mentee] I always led with ‘I think’ and my mentors gave me the confidence I needed to do it.” Hogben guided her throughout the process, one of the many reasons why Walker describes herself as a “product of mentorship.”

Walker’s new love for mathematical research never overshadowed her desire to be a great teacher. The childhood memories of middle and high school teachers believing in her before she even recognized her own interest in mathematics stuck with her, giving her the desire to inspire other students in a similar way. In the final years of her PhD at Iowa State University, Walker applied to MAA Project NExT. There she found a community of peers and mentors to whom she could pose her questions about teaching mathematics and get new perspectives.

In 2020, Walker became a regular reader of MAA’s Math Values blog – a space for diverse voices of mathematics to share thought-provoking articles and ideas. Walker appreciated the opportunity the blog provided for mathematicians from different backgrounds and expertise to share their perspectives on teaching, new research, and other issues Walker is passionate about, such as inclusivity in mathematics. “It wasn’t a traditional math journal blog. It was about the way in which we use mathematics to expand the community and to bring awareness to the entire mathematics community,” Walker said. She currently serves on the Math Values editorial board and continues to contribute pieces to the blog. When asked where she sees herself in five to ten years, Walker said:

Most importantly, I see myself as someone who has impacted the mathematical community through my work and service related to equity, diversity, and inclusion issues. I hope to use my voice to challenge the current cultural norms of the mathematics community to embrace the diversity of what can be. In doing so, this means challenging myself and others to provide more opportunities to a more diverse population of students.

Walker has already begun that work by encouraging her own students to explore their interests in mathematics and welcoming them into the field. In doing so, she shares her own experiences entering such a white and male-dominated field, as well as her experiences breaking that mold. Walker ensures all of her students know what she learned at her REU – that they can do mathematics and that they belong in the mathematics community.