i-Trek Volunteer – Kelvin Frazier

Kelvin Frazier is a member of the co-founding i-Trek Team. As a volunteer, he finds time to contribute to i-Trek as well as pursue a PhD in Chemistry. Find out more about Kelvin and his contributions to i-Trek. 

Hi Kelvin, thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions. Lets start with you telling us about yourself.

I am the youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Frazier, Jr. and I have one older brother Mr. Ricky Frazier, III. As a native of Savannah, GA, I decided to go a small university in my hometown called Savannah State University (SSU). There I graduated from SSU in 2010 with a bachelors of science in mathematics and a bachelors of science in chemistry.

What is your role on the i-Trek team?

I serve on the fundraising committee and the Trek committee.

Why did you want to contribute to the i-Trek Team?

Coming from a small university myself, there is definitely a need for programs like this to help foster and mature young scientist of today. I always felt like I was one of the lucky ones that made it out, but luck should not have anything to do with my success if the proper resources were in place for all to obtain. So, I feel a need to give back to my community and offer them opportunities that I didn’t have as an undergrad.

Where do you see i-Trek going in the next 5 years?

Possibly working for a firm as a technical consultant.

How did you become interested in STEM?

I first became interested in pursuing a STEM degree after taking a chemistry course my junior year in high school where Mrs. Lisa Callahan was the instructor. She always made each class fun and full of adventures of understanding chemistry. This course fueled my desire to learn more about chemistry by taking her AP Chemistry class my senior year and continue on to obtain a higher educational degree in chemistry.

What single moment/experience helped to shape your current STEM career?

When I was a teacher’s assistant (TA) for a laboratory class at SSU, I throughly enjoyed the experience of learning each student’s experiment and advising them on what their next steps should be. For a career in STEM, I knew I wanted to help people by learning about their system and advising them on ways to improve their technology so that they can better serve their customers. For a chemistry career in STEM, I wanted to think outside the box instead of joining the typical career path of going into either academia or industry.

Where do you see yourself (career wise) in the next 10 years?

I see myself potentially being a CEO of a technical company that caters toward the need of under-severed communities.

What kind of things do you like to do in your free time?

In my free time, I mostly sing in different choirs. I am currently member of the MIT Gospel Choir, Morning Star Baptist Church Choir, and Kuumba Singers of Harvard College. I also enjoy playing basketball, soccer, tennis and other sports.

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go and why?

I would love to travel to Paradise Island, Bahamas and stay at the Atlantis resort. The scenery is very beautiful and peaceful at the same time there are great opportunities to have fun in the sun in their water park.

We hope you enjoyed getting to know Kelvin better. Every month we will feature a member of the i-Trek team. Remember, if you would like to get involved, consider becoming a volunteer, a mentor or apply to be a Trekker.