Kristen Gardner is a fourth year PhD Candidate in Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, where she is a Chancellor’s Fellow and NSF Graduate Research Fellow. As a member of Prof. Richmond Sarpong’s Group, she studies new methods to access carbo- and heterocyclic ring scaffolds and works on the total synthesis of cephalotane-type diterpenoids. Kristen graduated with a BS in chemistry with honors and distinction in 2019 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and was awarded the Francis P. Venable Medal, the highest distinction given by the chemistry department. As a Chancellor’s Science Scholar at UNC, she studied cation-controlled olefin isomerization by palladium complexes under the advisement of Prof. Alex Miller. Outside of the lab, she is dedicated to teaching the next generation of scientists, as made evident by the Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor awarded in her first semester at Berkeley and more recently a Chemistry Instructional Achievement Award. In particular, she wants to create a more inclusive environment and help other underrepresented scientists find their place and their voice.