Rasheda Likely received her Bachelors of Science and Masters of Science in Biology from the University of North Florida. Before moving to Philadelphia, she worked in Virology for the Florida Department of Health for three years where she performed testing of patients exposed to the Zika virus. While working in Virology, she also taught “Principles of Biology” laboratory sections at University of North Florida. Rasheda is currently in her third year in the PhD program at Drexel University focusing on STEM education. While at Drexel, she has been a teacher assistant for the Biology department, a contributing member of the Critical Conversations in Urban Education Committee, weekly after-school instructor for 5th-8th grade, and curriculum developer for a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded project, Philly Scientists. She has presented her research at the Hawaii International Conference for Education (HICE), American Educational Research Association (AERA), National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). Her research interests focus on science education for minoritized middle school youth in urban settings.