Staff Spotlight: Kai Kline
For this month's staff spotlight we are pleased to highlight one of Graduate Research Assistants, Kai Kline!! As a Graduate Research Assistant, Kai works to develop and implement various programs at the center and helps those programs to thrive. This means working on our CompuGirl Hawaii spring virtual programming and implementation as well as assisting our postdocs in completing the data analysis for the last year of the CompuPower program.
Kai manages data for all of these programs, conducts data analysis, and literature reviews while overall supporting the entire team at CGEST. Kai is dedicated to helping all of us and our community partners in addressing the inequity in STEM. He has a B.S. in psychology from Lock Haven University and completed his Master of Counseling degree right here at ASU where he is now pursuing his PhD in the same field. Kai's research interests are in how experiences related to being transgender/gender non-conforming affect various aspects of romantic relationships and overall mental health.
We are delighted to have Kai on our team and even more delighted to have this GRA share more about what makes him so special! We know, and we want you all to know as well.
Home Town:
Allentown, PA
Top Three Life Highlights:
Getting into my PhD program.
Transitioning.
Culminating my amazing group of friends.
What inspires you?
As a clinician, my clients' stories of strength and resiliency are a big source of inspiration for me. Additionally, my late grandmother is my biggest inspiration, and I continue to do the work that I do in part to carry on her legacy of kindness and compassion. I find inspiration in many things and many people, so honestly, I get inspired by seeing my friends achieve their success and follow their passions.
Passions:
Social justice and advocacy for gender minorities. My entire clinical and research focus is with gender minority communities, and I put my entire heart and soul into this work. It is this passion that will ultimately get me through the doctoral experience :)
Suggested Reading:
Since I rarely have time to read for pleasure, my go-to has been poetry by Rupi Kaur. I highly recommend any/all of her work.
What is something that you learned recently?
I recently learned that cows have been documented to play tricks on each other, and also have a best friend. These are the wholesome facts I like to learn about.
What is the best thing about your job?
Being a part of a community with the same goal of reducing inequities.
What has been one of your proudest moments at CGEST?
Getting to work with the CGEST and Hawaii team to develop and implement CompuGirls: Hawaii.
What has been the most impactful tech innovation you use in your everyday life?:
As simple as it is, talk to text has been such a huge impact. I shattered my arm a few months back, and it was the only way I was able to communicate via text, email, and write my papers!
I am committed to advancing equity for women of color in STEM because ...
the continued inequity for women of color in STEM has remained unchanged for too long, and I am honored to be part of a community striving to change that.
Thank you Kai for taking the time to share a little bit about you. We are glad to have you on our team and your research skills and passion make us all a little bit better every day.
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