Official Story
Michael Hopkins is a 3rd year graduate student in the lab of Seth Margolis at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine where he is an NSF GRFP and HHMI Gilliam fellowship awardee. His thesis research focuses on the molecular mechanisms underlying the formation and function of a novel neuronal membrane proteasome (NMP) complex and its role in synaptic transmission. Prior to starting graduate school Michael received his B.S. in pharmaceutical science from North Carolina Central University. Michael is also the founder of Black Scientists Matter a nonprofit organization working to improve Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for people of African descent in STEM. In the future Michael hopes to combine his passion for scientific research, education, and policy in an academic science career.
Unofficial Story
Michael Hopkins is the youngest of 4 children born to Kim and Eric Hopkins of Raleigh, North Carolina. Throughout his childhood Michael balanced a love for school with a love for athletics. Although being Black, society made it clear which he was expected to fail in and which he was expected to succeed in. Michael's aptitude for science began in high school chemistry class where he was exposed to the intellectual rigor of science and discovered a fascination with the scientific unknowns of our universe. After his high school athletic career dwindled Michael chose to focus on his intellectual pursuits at North Carolina Central University, an HBCU (historically black college or university) where he studied pharmaceutical science. At NCCU it was through a concerted effort from his professors/mentors, department, and university that he was exposed to careers in scientific research. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion sound like "buzzwords" in 2020 but it was because of programs like the Partners cancer research program at UNC Chapel Hill, the EXROP program sponsored by HHMI, the Louise Stokes Alliance for Minority participation (LS-AMP), and the Leadership Alliance at Harvard, which provided an opportunity for an otherwise unspectacular Black boy from North Carolina to conduct scientific research all over the United States, develop a lifelong passion for learning, and find a community to support him in his endeavors. Building upon on these experiences and paying it forward, in 2017 Michael founded Black Scientists Matter Inc., a nonprofit organization working to improve diversity in STEM. It is only through quality mentorship, opportunity, and support that Michael is now pursuing his Ph.D. today (I wonder how many more Black scientists there could be if this model were applied universally).
Unfortunately, Michael's academic journey doesn't end in a happily ever after (yet?). After graduating from NCCU, Michael applied to 7 graduate schools for his Ph.D. (including NYU) and was rejected from all of them except 1. Luckily the BCMB (Biochemistry, Cellular, Molecular Biology) program at Johns Hopkins saw something that they believed in. Michael's grad school career got off to a rocky start when he failed a class and had to complete 4 lab rotations after being rejected from 2/3 of the original labs he rotated in. However, it was in the 4th rotation that Michael met Seth Margolis an outstanding mentor and person, one who supported him. Now beginning his third year of graduate school, Michael has matriculated to Ph.D. candidacy and been awarded two prestigious grants to fund his graduate research and another one to further his non-profit venture Black Scientists Matter. Although Michael battles imposter syndrome every day and still feels like he has no idea what he is doing, he would like to emphasize 3 lessons he has learned 1) you don't need external validation to tell you that you belong, 2) failure is always a learning experience, and 3) everyone deserves an opportunity.