LIFE

@keianacave

Keiana Cavé is the ultimate girl boss. At just 15 years old, Keiana began researching BP's gulf oil spoil at Tulane University, where she helped invent new methods of detecting toxins. Now, at 23, Cavé has invented the first non-hormonal birth control in the U.S. while also founding Sublima Pharmaceuticals. The self-proclaimed "Mad Scientist" is now partnering with skincare brand Olay to raise awareness about the major gender gap in STEM. To get the full scoop on this super star scientist, GL sat down with Keiana to talk about her path to success and how she's bridging the gap between women and the industry.

GL: What do you hope people learn about the gender gap in STEM through your partnership with Olay?
Keiana: "Through my own research and by working with Olay, I've learned how serious the gender gap in STEM really is. Women only make up 27% of the workforce in STEM fields. This is largely due to a lack of mentorship and guidance for young women. Olay is striving to double the number of women and triple the number of WOC in the industry by 2030, which I am so excited to help set in motion. Right now, there's a lack of people who look like me—and that needs to change."

GL: What advice do you have for young entrepreneurs like yourself? 
Keiana: "There's definitely the challenge of being taken seriously, especially as a young woman of color. Factors like race and gender can easily be perceived as setbacks, but it's important to retrain your mind to view them as motivation to prove everyone wrong. Olay is really focused on the role of mentorship in women pursuing careers in STEM, which I support 100%."

GL: How do you deal with skeptics of your success?
Keiana: "I was 1 of 16 women—and 1 of 4 Black women—in the entire engineering college at University of Michigan, which is a huge school. There were 13,000 people in the engineering college, but to be 1 of 4 Black women was pretty jarring. There were professors who thought I couldn't handle the work or succeed in my field, but that made it even more important for me prove them wrong! I used their skepticism as a motivator to work harder."

GL: What challenges did you face as a minority in a STEM?
Keiana: "I dealt with imposter syndrome and, during my time at school, constantly felt like I didn't belong. I would walk into a huge auditorium and be the only girl in a room that was already majorly lacking in diversity. My best way of getting through that was by finding a diversity program at Michigan, where I could be surrounded by people that looked like me. Finding a community with people who shared these experiences encouraged me to keep moving forward, despite sometimes feeling unsure."

GL: What goals do you hope to pursue in the future? 
Keiana: "Looking into the future, I would love to have my birth control pill approved by the FDA. I want to continue exploring women's health and find solutions to the questions that I am curious about."

Learn more about Keiana's incredible work on Instagram @keianacave!

Slider image via @keianacave on Instagram | GIFs via GIPHY
 Parts of this interview have been edited and condensed for clarity.

by Jasmine Robinson | 3/9/2022