Happy holidays, San Diego!

In this newsletter, I am beyond honored to have served as your San Diego ACS chair for the 2024 year. As my term comes to a close, I want to express my sincere gratitude for the opportunity to serve in this Local Section. When I first stepped into the position as an undergraduate, I never imagined how much I could learn and grow, both personally and professionally, over a retrospectively short period of time. Over the past year, I have had the privilege of overseeing a full slate of events and initiatives aimed at strengthening our chapter, promoting professional development, and engaging with the broader scientific community. 

In personal statements, I’ve often written about my goal to bridge the gap between underrepresented populations and the professional science community. When I started my journey as a budding chemistry student, I often doubted myself as being “acceptable” in the science community; however, my time in the ACS has challenged that instead and has manifested itself into motivation. That is, the motivation (and the fruition) of proactively creating the type of environment I would see myself succeeding in. I recognize now, that through fostering this environment founded in inclusivity, it has also helped others; that is, others who look like me, identify in similar communities as me, and have also gone through the same challenges of addressing self doubt like me.

One of the major highlights for me throughout my time as chair has been seeing both the growth and success of our programming, and I’m sincerely proud of what we’ve accomplished together as a community. Whether it was organizing professional development opportunities, connecting students with industry experts, or building outreach efforts, it’s been an amazing journey, and I’m thankful to have worked with so many talented individuals along the way.

To the executive committee members who faithfully attended the meetings and questions I so often pestered you with, to you, the members who have so warmly welcomed and mentored me through our time together, I thank you dearly.

As I pass the leadership baton to our next chairs, I am excited to introduce my successors, Max Mahler and Jackie Trischman. Both bring a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to the table, and I am confident that under their leadership, the chapter will continue to thrive and grow beyond the influence I’ve strived to leave throughout this year. Jiyue Chen, our newly appointed chair-elect, also has my utmost confidence and excitement, as she will reestablish the legacy of our chair-elect to chair tradition, and continue her growth as a local leader.

Again, thank you all for your continued commitment to our community, and I’m excited to see all that we will accomplish together in the coming year.

Sincerely,

Christina Vialva