As an NIH-IRACDA fellow, my approach to promoting DEI in STEM and academia is highly-integrated into my teaching and mentoring. For example, active learning approaches are known to disproportionately benefit students from historically-marginalized groups (HMGs). I have experience teaching and mentoring diverse students, including an introductory module to R programming for bioinformatics at William-Paterson University, a minority serving institution in Wayne, NJ. I strive to create a more inclusive environment for those lacking my privileges, with the ultimate goal of promoting the retention and success of students from HMGs in STEM.