Hi! My name is I’m Savaria Parrish and I am an NSF EpScor Fellow and Astrophysics PhD student at the University of Alabama, Huntsville. I recently graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in Geosciences and minors in Physics and Astronomy.

Outside of research, a huge part of what I do is centered around helping other students find their place in science. I currently serve as Vice Student Representative on the National Society of Black Physicists Student Council, where I work on initiatives focused on student support, mentorship, and professional development. I’ve also spent time as a career advisor and peer mentor, helping students find opportunities and navigate everything from applications to building their professional network.

I created Space to Succeed as a place to bring that work together. Here, I share opportunities, resources, advice, and real experiences from students across astronomy and physics related disciplines to make navigating college, research, and early career opportunities a little less confusing.

One quote from Toni Morrison that I take with me in all that I do is, “When you get these jobs that you have been so brilliantly trained for, remember that your real job is that if you are free, you need to free somebody else. If you have some power, then your job is to empower somebody else.”

Space to Succeed is one of the ways I choose to do that.