INSPIRING WOMEN OF THE W.A. FRANKE HONORS COLLEGE

 

This Women’s History Month, we featured just a few of the many wonderful women in the W.A. Franke Honors College. Below are the full interviews of a Franke Honors student, faculty member and staff member. They were asked about their experiences and advice in their respective field.

 

MADISON SITKIEWICZ: Franke Honors Student

Madison is a Franke Honors senior who is passionate about engaging young women in STEM as a Materials Science & Engineering major. You can read her student spotlight here and follow her outreach program @uazmaterials on Instagram. 

How can we get more girls and young women interested in STEM, especially in fields such as engineering, physics, and mathematics, which have the least representation of women?

In my experience, to get more young women, and underrepresented groups in general, interested in STEM, we need to increase STEM awareness and accessibility. One aspect of this is improving early STEM education. Through a STEM outreach program I organized in the Material Science and Engineering department, I was able to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges our local middle school and high school teachers are currently facing. These challenges included inadequate classroom supplies, underdeveloped pathways to college, especially in STEM careers, and underdeveloped networks. To tackle these challenges we need to create ways to make it easy for teachers to learn about the many services available that can provide free STEM activities and for teachers to write and receive grants so they do not have to spend their own money on their STEM supplies.  

Another resource that I find extremely enlightening when thinking about how to improve STEM education is Paulo Freire's work "Pedagogy of the Oppressed." I highly recommend this text to anyone in a teaching or mentoring role. Freire highlights the need to treat students as creative individuals and equals in the process of seeking new knowledge - not as empty receptacles which teachers fill. Creativity is vastly important for innovation in STEM, so I believe encouraging our students to be creative at a young age would make young girls more confident in their ability to go into STEM. 

Though we have made large strides in engaging women in STEM, what do we still have to improve on?

As we work to improve generating interest in STEM, we also need to improve retention. I believe the best way to do this is increasing opportunities for mentorship (formal and informal), support networks, and representation. During my freshman year, I had a male colleague in the lab I had just started working in who would take his frustrations with the lab out on me. He ranted to me, called me naive, and complained about how I would make his life harder because he would have to train me. By the end of the situation, I felt so horribly I offered to leave the lab. Luckily, I did not, and shortly after, I was able to find a new mentor, a female engineering PhD student who I had a lot more in common with. She provided a safe space for me to grow as an engineer and as a person. I do not know where I would be without her. It is quite possible I would have left my lab. Sometimes, I am still the only woman in the room, but having mentors, having a support group through the Society of Women Engineers, and seeing others who came before me succeed and be role models helps keep me going. Sometimes finding that mentor who can be your person is difficult when there are not many people like you around, so I believe we should continue increasing connection and visibility among women in STEM. 

What advice do you have for a young woman who is interested in the STEM field but is afraid there won’t be a place for her?

My advice is to take up space in a way that is uniquely yours. Sometimes it will look like there is not a place for you, and other times it will be very tempting to conform to standards that make you more suitable for a place you do see. When I was a sophomore attending the Society of Women Engineers Conference for the first time in Anaheim, CA, I was told by some older SWE members that I should wear makeup and heels to the career fair or else it would look like I was not trying. However, that was not me. I went to that career fair with no makeup or heels, just as the genuine, most true version of myself. I left with my dream internship at Raytheon Technologies that has turned into 3 rewarding internships, and hopefully a full time position. 

I often hear the phrase "you have to sell yourself”. I completely disagree with that phrasing. BE yourself. Do not change who you are. The place you are meant to be in STEM will take you as you are. Take the time to get to know yourself. Learn what makes you passionate. Then, strive to create a place for yourself that allows you to be your true, passionate self. 

You’ve organized Material Science and Engineering outreach as President of Material Advantage, the MSE undergraduate professional society here on campus. In working with middle and high school girls, what have you learned from this experience?

I learned that one of the biggest challenges facing young women in STEM, and in general, is confidence. When I mentored two 8th grade girls at Valencia last fall, I asked them one day: do you love yourselves? They both looked at the ground and told me no. We spent the next hour going around and saying things that we loved about ourselves. I told them to practice saying these reminders everyday because eventually they would start to believe it. By the end of our time together, one of my mentees told me she did that exercise everyday. She was radiant, confident, excited for her future, and even sang me a song, which was something she had been trying to find the courage to do all semester. Upon reflecting on this experience, I realized that I saw the same lack of self confidence in the college girls I was mentoring in engineering. A term many young female engineers resonate with too much is imposter syndrome: Am I good enough? Do I belong here? Maybe I am not cut out to be an engineer? I feel it too. It has taken me a long time to find my confidence and my voice, and some days I still struggle to do so. I believe teaching women from a young age to be strong, creative, and confident is vastly important, and I have learned that it should often be the first step to increasing success in STEM. 

 

NADIA ALVAREZ MEXIA: Franke Honors Faculty Member

Nadia is an award-winning educator who will be the instructor for Navigating Education in the Borderlands, a three-week, virtual summer internship that explores borderland experiences using the Collaborative Online International Learning method. Participants will collaborate with the University of Sonora in Mexico. Interested sophomores and juniors can find the application here and apply through Scholarship Universe by April 1st. The program will take place from June 7th-24th, 2022 and participants will earn one unit of honors internship credit. 

How do your binational connections influence your work as an educator?

I always feel that my journey is residing in different worlds. My binational connections work as cultural advisors that stimulate creativity and innovation to visualize comprehensive experiences for students, colleagues, and myself. These binational connections influence my work as an educator to understand that cultures are not isolated and need to relate to others based on respect and a strong willingness to learn from each other. For more than a decade, I have created diverse programs and collaborations across these binational connections, and I am always amazed about the process, activities, and outcomes. I also define myself as a connector. Many times, I just introduced and connected people who were interested in creating binational collaborations. In the last few years, I have experienced a self-identity transformation based on these binational experiences.

 What advice would you give a young woman who wants to enter higher education?

Be yourself. For years, I was trying to “fix” who I am to define a professional pathway.  I have learned that the best venue to go through higher education is also to be yourself. Being authentic is a strength that can give you the opportunity to accomplish education and define your professional journey too. Also, it’s important to work in a community, identify a mentor, never be afraid to explore new opportunities and if you can't accomplish your goal, try again and again. Learning is also a process that gives the opportunity to reflect about our decisions and actions. We’re not perfect but we are unique.

 

KAILEY SHILL: Franke Honors Staff Member

Kailey works as the Assistant Director of Academic Advising for the W.A. Franke Honors College and supports both the advising team and honors students. She oversees the overall pathway for Franke Honors students including orientation, course planning, retention, and graduation. She also is responsible for the implementation of both university and Franke Honors College academic policies and procedures. Kailey directs the hiring, training and supervision of all of the Franke Honors academic advisors and a data retention analyst. 

What has been your experience as a woman in leadership and management?

To be completely honest when I started at the Franke Honors College I never imagined myself in a leadership role. I started in the college with a part time role as the only academic advisor. Everyday I would show up eager to learn and to do my best to help students. As my role in the College developed I began voicing my idea of expanding academic advising. I now supervise 6 academic advisors, a data retention analyst, and serve on the College’s leadership team. There have been times in my journey where I have questioned if being a young woman would I be taken seriously enough, or if I have the skills or qualifications needed. In those moments I reminded myself to have the strength to take risks and to give up negative self-talk. I have had to remind myself that I am not perfect, and will make mistakes. Instead of striving for perfection, I practice to be a good problem solver and listener. I believe the strongest leaders are collaborative, kind, and inclusive. So any time I have self-doubt I focus on these qualities and it reminds me that I am not alone. I am part of an amazing team, and we are better when we work together. I am so grateful for each individual I work with every day.

What advice would you give to a young woman who is nervous about a leadership position? How can we engage more young women in leadership? 

My advice for young women would be to have confidence, but to not fear asking for help when you need it. Have both grit and grace. Grit includes the courage and tenacity you take into your role, but it’s important to have grace. Remember as you face conflict or barriers you handle those situations with warmth and empathy.   I also would encourage creating a strong work-life balance. It’s important to take care of yourself. Take breaks to hang out with your loved ones, exercise, and eat well in order to fuel your body for a sustainable healthy lifestyle. You are not able to be at your full potential when you do not prioritize your wellbeing.

In order to engage more women in leadership I think we need to be celebrating and encouraging women. I want to encourage all women to build each other up, and celebrate each other’s successes. Empowered women empower women.