From Classroom to Classroom: Ave Bisesi ’17

Ave Bisesi ’17 is no stranger to being an active community member: at Oberlin, they were involved in a range of activities outside the classroom, from playing with Preying Manti, the Women’s and Trans Ultimate Frisbee team, to hosting a radio show on WOBC-FM. Now, Bisesi is working to foster a sense of community in Oberlin’s academic spaces.

Bisesi is working as the 2018-2019 Inclusive Excellence STEM fellow as a part of Oberlin’s 2017 grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Their role is to assess and address the needs of STEM students on campus, a task that includes gathering data on student retention and classroom climates, as well as hosting spaces for staff and faculty to talk about science in a low-pressure environment.

Creating inclusive classroom settings is important to Bisesi, as the classroom was where some of their most formative moments took place at Oberlin. “I think the greatest things I gained over the course of my four years were confidence and a sense of self,” says Bisesi.

“I had always loved science. I arrived intending to major in biology and minor in math, and I was fortunate to find a strong and supportive community in the biology department at Oberlin.”

Bisesi recalls a particularly meaningful moment in Assistant Professor of Biology Aaron Goldman’s course on Genomics. “Early in genomics, I remember that Aaron made a comment about how important it is that we don’t give in to biologically reductionist ideas of race and gender. As a trans person, I’d been reconciling my previously held notions of gender with my love of biology for a long time, and it was so affirming to hear, in the classroom, that I didn’t have to choose; that other scientists were actively thinking about these things.”

Much of Bisesi’s research and studies at Oberlin has informed their postgraduate work. Bisesi conducted research in a number of labs and completed their senior honors research with Associate Professor of Biology Angie Roles, investigating mitochondrial genome structure and instability. They also spent a summer doing osteosarcoma research at a hospital outside Philadelphia. All of these experiences solidified a love of research and the art of asking scientific questions.

In addition to their position at Oberlin, they are working toward a MFA in fiction through Warren Wilson College’s low-residency program and are cohosting a podcast about their experience as a trans person. Within the next few years, Bisesi plans to earn a PhD in geobiology, studying the coevolution of microorganisms, biogeochemical cycles, and climate.

“I’d like to attend an institution that puts emphasis on becoming a good educator, both so that I can interact with welcoming colleagues and so that I leave graduate school with a good understanding of how to teach inclusively.”