Where I’m Coming From: Tyrone Porter
Underrepresented voices in science offer unique perspectives
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TYRONE PORTER
Tyrone Porter (MSE, BME, ME)grew up in Detroit. At the time, he says, the city was about 75 percent black. Now he’s a College of Engineering associate professor of mechanical engineering and of biomedical engineering, where the demographics are very different.
“Once I left the comfort of my black bubble and entered a predominantly white world at the University of Washington I recognized I needed to adapt,” says Porter. “I could not be exclusive. I had to be inclusive and identify with both white and black friends, advocates, and allies. Once I opened myself to that philosophy I began to establish relationships with people from all backgrounds. I realized it made me a better, more tolerant person and put me at ease at a predominantly white institution. I have had the same experience at BU identifying white allies at all levels in the University.”