Meet Tara Crawford Parks
Tara Crawford Parks graduated with a PhD in Cellular and Molecular Medicine and also has an Honour's BSc in Biomedical Science with a minor in Chemistry. She currently works as a Scientist at DNA Genotek. In her free time, Tara enjoys alpine skiing, reading, athletics, science outreach, and spending time with friends and family.
When did your love of STEM begin?
My love for STEM started very early, around the age of 6 and 7 I was requesting math workbooks from my elementary school teachers to practice multiplication and division. My Dad and I would frequently set up experiments at home to determine how things worked and why, I think that his curiousity quickly taught me how to think critically and formulate scientific questions. To build on these early life events, my grade 7 teacher, Mrs. Clarke, had a passion for science and really emphasized the importance of science in her teaching. She ensured that we were creating reports for our experiments in a way that would prepare us for high school, and this experience gave me a foundation for formulating a hypothesis, experimental design, and reporting my scientific observations. As a result of this exposure, as I moved into high school, I focused my course choices in the field of STEM and quickly realized that I wanted to pursue a career in this exciting field.
What is the best part about working in the field of STEM?
The thing I love most about working in the field of STEM is that I am constantly problem-solving and forced to think outside of the box. This makes every day different and challenging, which motivates me to continuously learn new things and push myself to further develop my skill set.
What advice would you give young women interested in a career in STEM?
The advice I would give to young women interested in a career in STEM is to never give up. If you are passionate about pursuing a career in STEM, you will most likely encounter obstacles along your way, my advice is to persevere. In doing this, you will showcase your unique perspective and problem solving skills, which will be invaluable as you progress in your career.
We are living in a generation where young girls are taught from an early age that we can do anything we set our minds to. I feel very fortunate that my parents instilled this belief in me, and I truly believe that this has been the foundation to my success. As a mom to a 2 year old girl, I plan to ensure that she is a confident, strong independent woman and I know that this foundation will teach her to have a "Can Do" attitude that will help her tackle any obstacle that she is presented with.