Erin Evonne Jean (Evonne) is a graduate student researcher in the Immunology Graduate Group (IGG) in the Biomedical Graduate Studies (BGS) program at the University of Pennsylvania. As a first generation science student, they completed a B.S. in cellular and molecular biology at the illustrious Hampton University in May 2019. Evonne was a MARC scholar during their undergrad and received the NSF GRFP during their first year at UPenn. Evonne is interested in tackling the complexities of neuroimmune interactions in the periphery (outside of the central nervous system) and how neurogenic mediated inflammation modulates the inciting immune cell inflammatory phenotypes. As a member of De'Broski Herbert's lab they plan to utilize models of Type II inflammation to help elucidate how sensory neurons mediate the onset and resolution of inflammatory states at mucosal barrier sites. Evonne is passionate about helping to diversify the scientific workforce and help underrepresented/ non-traditional students maximize the potential of their graduate school applications. Alongside scientific research, they hope to engage in outreach and diversity initiatives to make science more accessible to disenfranchised groups that are historically excluded from biomedical interests.