At Cal Poly Pomona, we have many alumni who go on to enjoy successful careers in their field. Niedre Heckman (‘88, chemistry) is no exception. She left CPP prepared to work as a chemist in pharmaceutical research and development and, later in her career, moved into regulatory affairs.
Heckman is certainly an inspiration professionally, but her personal story is equally inspiring. She was one of the authors recently honored at the CPP Golden Leaves Award ceremony for publishing her memoir, “The World Where I Belong: My Quest for Identity as a Black Woman in White Skin,” now available on Amazon.
As a black woman born with albinism, Heckman recalls how she sought to fit in. At the age of three, her fondness for playing in flower beds gave her an idea. She spread mud on her arms and face, thinking it was very clever. She showed her mother, telling her, “Look mom, now I’m beautiful like you.” Her mother washed the mud off her face and arms and told her, “You don’t need to look like me to be beautiful. You’re beautiful as you are.”
Initially, Niedre was disappointed that her mother didn’t like her cleverness, but the message stayed with her, and that message was, “I can be who I am and there’s beauty in that.”
Heckman became interested in science at the age of five and decided to study chemistry because her grandmother suffered from diabetes. She thought about becoming a doctor, but the degree in chemistry allowed her to contribute to the field of medicine without the added cost and competition of medical school.
It was romance that brought her to Cal Poly Pomona. Her boyfriend at the time, whom she met through a program for the visually impaired, came to study electrical engineering, and Heckman followed. At CPP, she found acceptance and belonging.
“In many ways, even today, I feel welcome when visiting the campus. When I attended CPP, the chemistry department was small enough for me to put my arms around it. Students knew each other and the professors were very supportive,” Heckman said.
It was Professor Ernie Simpson, now deceased, who helped her get her first job. She took public transportation to her interview at Hysol, arrived an hour early, but couldn’t find the road the company was on. So, Simpson intervened, set up a second interview appointment and drove her to it. She was hired.
“What I learned at CPP prepared me for work. I used all the chemistry, titration, and other techniques I learned in the lab. They could count on the results I got. I was always able to solve for the unknown using what I learned at CPP.”
Her career led her to research and development for pharmaceuticals and medical devices, then quality control, and she now works as a consultant in regulatory affairs. While at her previous firm, Takeda, there was a call for employees to audition for a TEDx Talk, and she decided to give it a try.
Her concept, which drew from her personal experience, was that no matter what organization we find ourselves in, we all have a superpower. That power is to see the beauty in our peers, see their beauty, and let them be their natural selves. Heckman believes that when people are being their authentic selves, it allows for creativity and better problem-solving. Some problems require thinking differently.
The consequence of not accepting and allowing others to be themselves is that people will mimic others’ expectations of success. “People who don’t see the beauty in themselves can’t see it in others. That’s how we have negative feelings about our peers, but we can wash the figurative mud off them,” she said.
Heckman’s proposal was accepted, and she gave the talk in 2022. It was well received, and in 2023 she thought it might be good to draw on her experience to write a book. She wasn’t sure she could write a self-help book, and a friend advised her to write a memoir instead. That’s exactly what she did.
The Golden Leaves program honors faculty, staff, students, and alumni who publish a book. That award brought Heckman back to campus in April, but Heckman has been a frequent visitor to campus, serving as Chair of the Science Dean’s Circle Advisory Board.
In 2020 her professor and friend Ernie Simpson called asking for help to raise money for a chemistry scholarship to commemorate the 50-year anniversary of the chemistry department. She got on board, made a substantial donation and raised funds, ensuring the scholarship would be endowed. The experience inspired her to join the Dean’s Circle and create the Niedre M. Heckman Student Chemist Scholarship.
“I thought, if I can help a student who is making sacrifices to get their education, I should do it. Some students have other responsibilities or have to work all the time so their grades suffer, not because they can’t do it. They should be allowed to shine,” she said.
