About Me

Kassandra Fernandez is a Graduate Research Assistant at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where they are pursuing their PhD in Engineering Education (EED). They graduated from Miami Dade College with a B.S. in Biological Sciences & from the University of Florida with an M.S. in Microbiology & Cell Science.

Prior to pursuing their PhD, they worked as a science teacher at a Title I school in Homestead, Florida & as an adjunct professor of Microbiology at a Hispanic-serving community college in Miami, Florida. As an educator, they utilized equitable teaching practices & encouraged student agency to ensure positive learning outcomes.

Their first year of PhD research focused on undergraduate student perceptions of social responsibility in STEMM, with special emphasis placed on the importance of science communication & policy advocacy, as well as the intersection of institutional culture & transformational change towards cultivating more inclusive & equitable access for underrepresented minority students in STEMM fields. They are currently exploring perceptions of mentorship within undergraduate STEM student organizations & near peer mentorship between undergraduate student mentors & K-12 student mentees in the context of educational out-of-school time (OST) STEM programs.

Outside of their research, Kass is the President of the Policy Advocacy in Science and Engineering (PASE) student organization at the University of Florida. They also serve as the Vice President of the Engineering Education Graduate Student Council and the Strategy Consultant for the Gator Major-4-Major Mentorship Program.