The researcher is proud of her hard work, but also gives credit to God for helping her achieve success.

“During this time, I encountered God’s love, through a divine meeting with His Holy Spirit in a way I cannot wait to share. His love has been enough for me to manifest anything I desire to do, be or become,” she said.

Her ultimate goal is to inspire "other Black girls and women to achieve the highest education they could in their field."

"Never did I think my love of Math and Health would lead me to being a 'first' in Black History," Maze wrote on Instagram. "After 5-6 years of hard research, I spent the last 3 months shut up in my office space, focused only on two things: finishing my variance derivations and estimations."

Alena Maze

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