We’ve started a new blog series: staff highlights. Get to know the diverse people that compose the Lab! For this staff highlight, we are excited to introduce the newest member of the Wei LAB family. Meet Samantha Garlock, our Lab Manager:
Where are you from?
I was born in Boston, and moved up and down the East Coast (mainly New England and North Carolina).
What current projects are you working on for the Wei Lab?
Scheduling meetings, getting ready to hire new staff for the fall semester, taking care of travel arrangements, and preparing for the colloquium.
What do you like best about working for the Wei Lab so far?
Knowing that I’m helping the LAB accomplish important research that will make a difference in the world.
What is your best memory of working for the Wei Lab so far?
I’ve only been here for a month, but everyone at the Wei LAB and WCER has been so welcoming!
What have you gained from working at the Wei Lab so far?
An understanding of how a research lab functions, and a greater appreciation for the importance of educational science research.
What is your personal philosophy?
Do something with your life that would make a 1950s straight white man angry. (Full disclosure: I did not come up with this; it’s going around the feminist internet).
What is the greatest challenge you have had to overcome in your life thus far?
Learning how to establish a sustainable work-life balance. I’m still working on it!
Why does education matter to you?
Education opens the doors to myriad possibilities in the form of new, potentially life-changing, ideas and connections. I strongly believe that everyone should have access to the resources they need to pursue an education– whatever “education” means to them.
Who has had been your most influential mentor?
My mom.
What does equity/inclusion mean to you?
To me, inclusion means making sure everyone is included in structures and institutions that exist, and, furthermore, that their presence and contributions are valued. Equity means that members of marginalized groups are given resources that bring them level to the starting point of the privileged group (as opposed to equality, in which all groups are given the same amount of resources).
What is the best book you have ever read?
I can’t choose a favorite, but a few books I’ve recently read and loved: White Teeth by Zadie Smith, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot, On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder, and, for a little levity, Texts from Jane Eyre by Mallory Ortberg.
What would you most like to tell yourself at age 13?
Compulsory heterosexuality is the idea that the patriarchal society we live in in presumes that everyone is heterosexual, and attempts to enforce this by making heterosexuality the “norm.” Just something to keep in mind.
How do you define success?
I define “success” as having the resources to live the way you want to live. For me, that means doing work (both paid and volunteer) that I care about, and that makes a difference.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
Listen to podcasts, craft, and take my cat for walks.
Do you have a favorite quote?
“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” –Audre Lorde
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