Hometown: Born in Trinidad, grew up on military bases all over the eastern U.S., graduated from high school in Hagerstown, Maryland
Major: Marine Biology
Important URI Activities: Gyasi served as president of Seeds of Success, a multicultural affinity group and was the assistant producer of “Can We Talk,” a documentary made with professors Bryan Dewsbury and Kendall Moore featuring students of color discussing their sense of belonging in the STEM disciplines (the film is now being shown around the country). He is currently working on a podcast, “The Hidden Curriculum,” that aims to help first-generation students navigate their college experience.
What’s Next: Graduate school and putting his marine biology degree to work while helping underrepresented students interested in pursuing the STEM disciplines. As a Gates Millennium Scholar, which funds 10 years of college education, he is planning a route that will eventually lead to a doctorate.
Career Goal: In addition to science communications, he’s interested in tropical reef communities, an extension of his childhood and his identity, and in the neuroscience behind fish social behavior.
In His Own Words: “I feel like science communication is my personal vehicle to help extend opportunities to students from underrepresented backgrounds. It allows me to show that I’m a person of color and an immigrant in STEM, and that representation matters in creating a sense of belonging. I want people to see someone that looks like them doing something that, historically, they may not have seen.”