Tobi Raji

I attribute my success to talking to other women in leadership, especially women of color. It makes me feel supported and validated - like what I'm thinking is not something that is made up in my head, because some people can't connect as well since experiences are different. That really does make an impact. I also mentor students, and I recently got a new mentee who was so happy to speak to me because she said she was so happy to be speaking to somebody of color in the science industry that she could connect with. She told me it meant a lot to her during her sophomore year, and I almost cried on the call. I was like, I'm just talking to you, listening to you, but she said it was so refreshing. Having that connection and being able to see representation really matters.

The best advice I was given is to always know that you belong in the room. Don't feel intimidated. Even if you feel intimidated, still continue to be visible and speak up, because you are making paths for the next generation. In the STEM field, it can be very rigorous - there's a lot of hard courses as a student, and then in the professional environment as a woman too, there's a lot of spaces, corporate spaces, where they may make you feel like you're not smart enough, or you're not good enough, or you don't have the credentials. So I've always taken that advice to heart - I'll just speak up for what I know, and then always try to make sure I make a stance, because my goal is to be in a leadership role so somebody that was like me when I was younger can look at me and be like, oh wow, she did it. It's not that hard. It is hard, but you know, they can see it's possible.

The advice I would give to young women is that they do matter, they're very important. Their ideas are very important. They do belong in the room because they make an impact. So that's my advice - to just keep remaining positive, keep remaining resilient. And another thing as well, I feel like our world is getting very focused on leading people to burnout. I feel like they always have to excel, excel, excel, and get this, and get this, and get this. So my advice is to just make sure you schedule time for rest, because you don't want to burn out when your full potential can be shown to the world. I think self-care is definitely needed in the STEM industry. It's not really highlighted that much, but people go through it. For me, my self-care is taking walks, just being outside in nature, being outside of the four walls of my professional space and the artificial lighting - I need sun. That really helps me. Also doing things for my body, like making sure I'm drinking enough water, and all the little cute pretty things like getting my hair done and my nails done. These things are therapeutic, and if you look well cared for by yourself, I think it's more trustworthy than a person that looks disheveled. And it makes me feel good.

The biggest challenge I see right now is that the biotech industry and pharma industry are getting really hit hard with layoffs. I got laid off myself, and I'm hearing that a lot of people, especially women of color in my network, are being affected. It's not something I can prove statistically, but even in the network I'm in, the majority of them are women of color. I'm not saying it's all of them, but I think that's one of the major challenges right now. I feel like if we have people within the companies or connections, this is how we all need to utilize our network to bring suitable candidates that we know - either through a referral, or talking to their manager, or just like that little extra step. Because the job market is very, very hard right now. It's hard. For me, personally, with layoffs, the first set of people let go are women, and then women of color are usually the priority in those cuts. There are other systemic challenges within the industry, but I feel like that one is the major one right now.

The most important values to me are definitely giving back, being optimistic towards myself and towards people around me, and maintaining integrity as a person. Everybody always asks me, Toby, how do you maintain this positive energy? Are you always so positive? And I tell them, just because if I'm negative, it's not gonna make me feel better, so I have to maintain positivity. And I feel like it also spreads if I maintain that positivity and put it on others as well. But I also value integrity deeply. I know this world can definitely manipulate your morals and the things that you want to achieve, especially if you want to attain something. But I always try to look deep into what I want, and what my morals are, and what the actions I'm doing are going to do for the benefit of the people around me, or the community, or the purpose. Those are my core values.