Gabriel Reyes
Founder and CEO of FLi Sci
Philadelphia, PA
A first-generation college graduate, Gabriel was raised in poverty by Mexican immigrants and has navigated the many challenges faced by underrepresented students in academia. They earned an honors bachelor’s degree in Cognitive Neuroscience from Brown University and a Master’s degree in Neuroscience and Education from Columbia University on a QuestBridge and Gates Millennium Scholarship. Currently, they are pursuing a PhD in Developmental and Psychological Sciences at Stanford University as a Knight-Hennessy Scholar.
Gabriel’s personal journey fuels their commitment to creating equitable opportunities in science education. Under their leadership, FLi Sci has developed innovative programs that bridge the gap between potential and opportunity, ensuring that diverse talent can thrive in science and research fields. Gabriel has been recognized by numerous fellowships and awards, including the Echoing Green Fellowship and the Roddenberry Fellowship, reflecting their dedication to social impact and educational equity. Their mission is to build a world where wealth is not a barrier to becoming a scientist and where all students, regardless of their background, can contribute to scientific innovation and discovery.
Overview
FLi Sci (short for first-generation/low-income scientists) is an initiative founded by Gabriel Reyes in June 2020 to address the lack of financial support for students in poverty to access, pursue, and engage in scientific opportunities.
This was most salient when founder and Executive Director Gabriel Reyes was a graduate student at Teachers College and realized not just the lack of scientists that grew up in financially scarce environments but also how few resources existed to address this gap in representation. That summer, Gabriel was an intern for The Opportunity Network and created for them a virtual summer research program in response to the COVID-19 pandemic — and this is when it became clear that such programs should also be made available to students in areas where access to science is either extremely limited or nonexist entirely.
As a result, FLi Sci aims to build pipelines for high school and college students that are from low-income backgrounds or the first in their families to attend college and set them up for success navigating a scientific career.
