I grew up being told to respect people for who they are and what they stand for. Giving and receiving respect is at the core of my culture. In my profession, I practice it by not being a jerk, and instead being courteous, understanding and pleasant to work with. Often, that's viewed as being 'soft' or 'too easy' but I believe, as humans, respect for each other, despite differing views and perspectives, can help us build a better world where we can all tolerate each other.  

As a person of colour and an immigrant, I am very conscious of who is represented in the media and whose voice is the strongest. Journalism, for all its merits, can have a big say in whose voices get platformed on the media stage. In my work, I try to provide a voice to people from marginalized or under-represented communities as much as possible. I also recognize how perspectives from people from different geographies, genders, racial and economic backgrounds, and cultural identities enrich my story. I am also aware of my privilege in helping these voices shine. 

As humans, forming social bonds and long-lasting relationships are innate to us as creatures. In my work, I love to build relationships with my sources by being transparent and earning their trust so they are comfortable in sharing their stories and lived experiences with me. As journalists, it is easy to move from one story to the next, but I treasure building a network of people who I can rely on and I love it when sources come back to me telling me what they thought of how I represented them in my work.

Many mentors, peers and readers have shaped my career as a science writer and journalist and I am immensely thankful to all of them. As a way of paying it forward, I have been open to mentoring aspiring science writers and sharing my experiences, learnings and knowledge with others. I also run a virtual co-working space for other science writers. It's all in the spirit of building a community I can rely on.