The importance of mentorship, equity, rest, and more: A chat with Alissa Matus

Alissa Matus (she/her) is a rising 4th year graduate student and NSF-GRFP fellow, doing organometallic and inorganic chemistry in the Yang group at UC Irvine. As a Latina and Black woman she is driven by her desire to help others like her, from historically excluded groups, explore their passions for science and research. Mentorship has been key to her journey through higher education, and she wants to return the favor by being the best mentor she can be! When she is not in the lab, doing electrochemistry or battling impostor syndrome, she can be found listening to music, staring at cute dogs, spending time with friends, or some combination of those three! You can follow Alissa on Twitter @lissathechemist.

Alissa's Favorites

1. Favorite writing snack: My favorite writing snack is cheese and sour cream ruffles. Easy to eat and lots of salt!!

2. What's on Alissa's Watchlist? Most of my watchlist is anime at the moment... but Shang-Chi is on top and I cannot wait to see it when it's out!!

3. Song to get you hyped: "Amateurs" by Sleepy Tom and Lights. The chorus goes, "I've been having the time of my life, and love is how we make it work," and to me, although grad school has challenged me in ways I didn't know were possible, I am happy to be here and it's because I'm surrounded with love.

4. Dream vacation spot: Hawaii - I've wanted to explore every island since I was a baby. I'm praying I can go soon, and be a responsible tourist!

Chemistea is a chemistry and science podcast founded by Lucy Yang (she/her), currently a fourth-year undergraduate at UC Irvine, studying chemistry and biological sciences. Some of the most famous scientific collaborations and discoveries were born from a conversation over tea, and on her podcast, Lucy aims to combine her love of talking with her love of sharing and hearing stories—stories about others' passion for science, their journeys, and any and all fun shenanigans in between. You can follow Lucy on twitter @isolucyine. She is also the founder of The Kawaii Chemist, a shop where you can find cute chemistry stickers and merch, where 100% of profit goes to charity. You can check out The Kawaii Chemist here, and you can donate to support Kawaii Chemist and the Chemistea podcast here. Thank you listening!