MESA has served California students underrepresented in STEM since 1970, and Umoja has supported Black community college students since 2006, now at more than 70 colleges
Baxter speaks in a virtual keynote in October 2021. No photos were published of her Los Medanos or Monterey Peninsula talks. Photo: Wellcome Connecting Science video
Raven Baxter gave keynotes for two California community college programs in 2021. She spoke to Los Medanos College's MESA students on Feb. 19, and at Monterey Peninsula College with its Umoja program on Nov. 5. Both talks were held online.
At Los Medanos, in Pittsburg, the MESA program hosted her in a 1 p.m. Zoom webinar. After her keynote she answered questions that students had sent in advance. Their topics included her path into science, imposter syndrome, diversity in STEM, how molecular biologists were helping with COVID-19 and how she came to be called the "Queen of Science Rap."
In November, her keynote at Monterey Peninsula College was titled "Embracing Your Authentic Self In STEM." She gave it as a speech, without slides.
Los Medanos College opened in 1974 as part of the Contra Costa Community College District. MESA, short for Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement, was founded in 1970 at Oakland Technical High School with 25 students. A formal community college program followed in 1993. MESA came to Los Medanos in fall 2009 to serve educationally underrepresented students in STEM fields.
Monterey Peninsula College began holding classes in September 1947 on the campus of Monterey High School. Umoja, a Kiswahili word meaning unity, grew out of a fall 2006 conference on Black student success at Diablo Valley College. The state recognized it as a student success program in 2008, and it now runs at more than 70 community colleges. The college's Umoja program works to raise retention, graduation and transfer rates for African American and other historically underrepresented students.
"What a fantastic event!" Monterey Peninsula College wrote after the keynote, in feedback published on Baxter's website.
Baxter is a molecular biologist who taught biology at SUNY Erie, a community college in western New York. In 2021 she became director of diversity initiatives at the University of California, Irvine's School of Biological Sciences. She was then a doctoral candidate at the University at Buffalo and defended her dissertation in June 2021.
The programs' pages are online for MESA at Los Medanos College and Umoja at Monterey Peninsula College.
Dr. Raven Baxter joined National Fair Housing Alliance President and CEO Lisa Rice on June 28, 2026, for a fireside chat on housing discrimination at the alliance's national conference in Washington.
Dr. Raven Baxter joined three fellow University at Buffalo alumnae on the UB Distinguished Keynote Panel at the fourth annual WNY Leadership Summit on May 29, 2026.
Dr. Raven Baxter made the case for training and support for scientists online on Geeks for America's Geeks Live on April 21, 2026.
