Kyla McMullen grew up with a fascination for computers and an ever-increasing desire to learn more about how they worked. She told Diverse that when she was little she thought computer science “was just like magic.” “You press a button and something happens in a whole (other) place,” she said. “I really was intrigued by what in the world made computers run” (1). This passion for computers and the science behind them, led McMullen to pursue technology and earn a PhD. in Computer Science, the first black woman to do so from the University of Michigan.

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         Unsurprisingly, McMullen’s journey to receiving her PhD. from the University was not easy. She had been inspired to enter the field because of a black computer math teacher she had in high school named Randy Ware (2). She thought if he could do it, she could too (1). However, once at the University of Michigan for her graduate program, she was met with discouragement from program leaders. McMullen had scheduled an appointment with the graduate chair in order to get advice on a specific problem. But instead of providing support, the chair told her that “computer science is not for everybody” and that she “should consider some other options.” McMullen shared that he then began to name other areas of study that were more “appropriate” for a person that looked like her to study (1). The University, specifically the STEM community, so easily diminished the qualifications of a passionate student based on the color of her skin.

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        However, and luckily for the University, McMullen continued working towards her doctorate in Computer Science. And during her time, McMullen didn’t fail to make waves with her work. For example, in 2007 she created educational software “that taught children how to identify relationships between objects.” In addition, she worked with the Naval Submarine Medical Research Lab on virtual environments research that has potential to help in real-world applications (2). If it wasn’t clear before, it should be now: Kyla McMullen is a kick-ass computer scientist and her race plays little to no part in her ability to be amazing at what she does.

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        McMullen would graduate in 2012 and go on to be an assistant professor at Clemson University’s School of Computing. She now works for the University of Florida as an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and encourages the minority population to enter computer science and STEM fields through regular public appearances (1).