DR. TAMEKIA WAKEFIELD grew up poor in Frayser, Tennessee, a community in North Memphis that transitioned from a white, middle-class neighborhood to a more racially diverse, economically struggling area in the 1980s. She needed security in her projection of the future: teacher, doctor, lawyer. Something like that. These were her options, though admittedly, “I originally wanted to be a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader. But I thought better of it.” A doctor was the most important person she saw growing up, someone with authority and security. “So that's what it was. My entry into biology was really boring.” A simple choice: biology or chemistry. The only paths to medicine.
But then something magical happened. “I had my first field experience and was instantly enamored with herps.” Horned lizards, to be precise.
After applying for and receiving an HHMI (Howard Hughes Medical Institute) Fellowship, Tamekia spent a summer in Ray Huey's lab at...