Today, Maria talks with Rhondene Wint. She was born and raised in the Carribean where she studied biology and served as a high school teacher for three years. After her applications to several graduate schools kept getting rejected, she decided to take a machine learning online course and teach herself how to code while she was in Jamaica. Her perseverance and commitment to building skills paid off when she was finally accepted by UC Merced in California, where she is currently pursuing her PhD in Genomics. Together, we unpack her learning journey and growing passion for research. She shares how she continues to leverage online learning platforms to develop essential skills for the future of work. She also talks about the importance of communication and writing skills to help her cultivate meaningful network connections. Rhondene wants to inspire and guide youth to make decisions about what to learn and how to future proof their skills in our fast-paced technological era. An inspiring conversation with a deep learner!
Production team:
Host : Maria Xenidou
Producer: Julie-Roxane Krikorian
Introduction Voice: David Bourne
Contact us:
impactlearningpodcast@gmail.com
Music credits:
Like Lee performed by The Mini Vandals
Transition sounds: Swamp Walks performed by Jingle Punks
Mentioned in this episode
International Business Model Competition
John Hopkins' course "Genomics Data Science" on Coursera
Joint Genome Institute in Berkeley https://jgi.doe.gov/
Rhondene on LinkedIn
Maria on LinkedIn
Rhondene onTwitter @R_Winty
Rhondene’s blog
Listen to this episode and explore:
Rhondene’s childhood in the Carribean: climbing trees and reading history and geography books (3.27)
Studying biology in college to become a doctor: learning the complexities of the living organisms (7.31)
Learning to build a start-up during the International Business Model Canvas Competition (9:22)
Becoming a teacher: how she adapted to the learning styles and interests of her students (12:03)
Starting her PhD in the US: how she prepared after numerous application rejections (19:14)
Genomics: the practical applications of Rhondene’s research on genes (27:45)
Considering career options in the future of work: building skills and gaining experience (31:35)
Machine Learning: how Rhondene learned to code as a teacher in Jamaica (35:54)
Futureproofing: how to prepare for the future of work (42:18)
Building essential skills: communicating her research and connecting with her network (46:41)
Inspiring the youth and creating an impact on the world with her research (48:18)