Kathleen Johnson, an associate professor in the Department of Earth System Science at UC Irvine, shares her academic journey and experiences in a transcript. She explains that during her graduate school years at UC Berkeley, she faced challenges due to the lack of mentorship and guidance in academia. Despite these obstacles, she remained determined and relied on the support of her peers to persevere. Kathleen attributes some of her success to chance opportunities, such as securing a postdoc position at Oxford University and landing a faculty position at UCI. Currently, Kathleen's research focuses on reconstructing past climate change as a geochemist and paleoclimatologist. She uses cave deposits, specifically stalagmites, to study past climate patterns and improve climate models. Her research has focused primarily in Southeast Asia, including China, Vietnam, and Laos, where she collaborates with community partners and archaeology projects to gather data in regions with uncertain climate futures. In addition to her scientific research, Kathleen actively contributes to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in geosciences. She recently received a significant NSF grant for a project called the Climate Justice Initiative, which explores climate change and environmental justice. The initiative aims to train traditional geoscientists and researchers in understanding and addressing the intersections of climate change and social equity. Kathleen Johnson's work combines scientific investigation of past climate change with a commitment to promoting inclusivity and justice in the field of geosciences.