The rational design of compounds to covalently label natural amino acids has become a popular method in both therapeutics design and chemical biology exploration. The field is saturated with rich chemistry for the targeting of nucleophilic amino acids, with chemical advances in recent years opening the door to the targeting of additional amino acids. To further expand the realm of targetable amino acids, we have developed and assessed oxaziridines as covalent methionine-targeting reagents via Redox-Activated Chemical Tagging (ReACT) chemistry. This thesis describes work on establishing a platform for covalent methionine screening using cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4) as a model protein. Additionally, this thesis explores efforts at improving equity and inclusion within the College of Chemistry at UC Berkeley via a graduate student-led mentorship program aimed at improving the number of undergraduate transfer students in research labs as a method for mitigating the effects of transfer shock and lessening barriers to advanced education in STEM. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]