Policy has touched every aspect of my life. I grew up American because immigration policies allowed my mother to immigrate from Jamaica. I was able to attend college because of Cornell University’s policy to waive tuition and housing costs for low income students. I could pursue my graduate degree because of Congressional funding to the National Science Foundation which had policies to provide stipends to train young scientists. It is clear to me that even if we don’t want to participate in politics, it will impact every aspect of our lives.
I came to a career in policy because of my interest in biology. After college, I worked in a lab researching the molecular basis of leukemia. I was deciding whether to pursue a Ph.D. when the 2013 budget sequestration led to a 16-day government shutdown. Many scientists expressed uncertainty and frustration that multi-year experiments could be jeopardized in those 16 days--all because of the lack of communication in Congress. It seemed so clear that more scientists needed to be willing to leave the lab and talk about what they are doing to the public and policymakers. I decided I would try to be one of those scientists, which inspired me to apply to graduate school.
Early in my graduate career, I was attracted to policy both on the national scale and within my university. As president of my graduate school’s student government, I co-authored and lobbied for a bill to restructure the broken student government system to be more equitable. I also traveled to Capitol Hill to advocate for sustained funding of biomedical research. Each time I came to the Hill, I was struck by the electric feeling of progress being made. I knew that working there would be an invaluable learning experience in how to affect change and I made it my goal to work on the Hill one day.
In my Ph.D. training to become a bioinformatician, I’ve learned a great deal about the tech sector’s powerful tools and their potential for bias and abuse. I was also shocked to learn just how much work is left to be done in increasing diversity within the tech workforce during my time as a Christine Mirzayan fellow at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. During that fellowship, I was grateful to learn how TechCongress perfectly fit my interests and passion to ensure that tech products are helping all Americans and not simply automating biases. As a Congressional Innovation Scholar, I will gain hands-on experience drafting effective legislation, conducting vital oversight, and interacting with constituents and advocacy organizations. I know the year ahead will be a difficult one for a nation stricken by a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, but I am grateful for the opportunity to serve.
Crystal is currently serving with Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and supporting on oversight, health care, and technology issues.