Pushing through the heartbreak and grief to share a milestone:

I& #39;ll be the first Black woman faculty in @Princeton& #39;s School of Engineering in its ~100 years of history and the first Black faculty @PrincetonCS. [THREAD]

via @forbes https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewwight/2020/08/30/this-ai-expert-from-senegal-is-helping-showcase-africans-in-stem/">https://www.forbes.com/sites/and...

Thank you @ligaze and @Forbes for sharing part of my story.

I dedicate this to my late father who didn& #39;t go to school, and my dear mother who didn& #39;t finish high school but understood the value of education enough to enroll me in Kaolack& #39;s public school system. https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇸🇳" title="Flagge des Senegal" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge des Senegal">

It& #39;s been a very long journey filled with disappointment and growth, hope and persistence, failure and success, friendship and love.

I am grateful to all the people who took a chance on me. Here& #39;s to handing chances https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🌟" title="Leuchtender Stern" aria-label="Emoji: Leuchtender Stern">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="❤️" title="Rotes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Rotes Herz">

I look forward to joining Princeton University--an institution that counts so many great scientists, technologists, mathematicians, and historical leaders such as @MichelleObama in its alumni & faculty--and contribute to its stellar community and the academic community at large.

I& #39;ll share more details about my lab @PrincetonCS later. I look forward to building a safe, supportive, and collaborative environment where *everyone* is welcome. Yibambe https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="❤️" title="Rotes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Rotes Herz"> @BlackAFinSTEM