DOES REPRESENTATION MATTER?

*Should* representation matter?

This question was brought up to me last week and I’ve been thinking about it a lot since then.

To be asked this question struck a chord. I almost feel like this is a loaded question because there are so many factors that play in each of our lived experiences. So with that in mind, I'm approaching this question with my own lived experience.

I grew up in Central Florida, a melting pot of cultures with a large Latino population, so I never really felt other.

I also want to acknowledge that I grew up in a family that immigrated to the states with some money and worked their way up from working-class to upper-middle class. Our extended family eventually immigrated over too, so I have the luxury of immersing myself in my heritage with a solid family support system.

Portrait of my family at my wedding.

I attend public schools where the city's diversity is also reflected in the students that attended and the teachers I was exposed to. Solely looking at science teachers, I have been taught by a Latina, Black woman, European French woman, White woman, and three White men from middle school to high school.

When I attended college and the University of Central Florida, that diversity of teachers persisted. My chemistry professor in community college was a Latina. The chair of the chemistry department at the university was Latino. The director of the McNair Scholars program I was in was Latino. Even my undergraduate research professor, who fostered my growth as a scientist, was a Latino.

Selfie of me with the McNair’s Scholars Director.

Picture of me with my undergrad research advisor.

I never once questioned my ability to become a scientist because of my ethnicity or gender but solely on how I performed in school.

It wasn't until I got into grad school and moved to Tennessee that I became hyper-aware of how I walk in our society as a brown, Latin American woman. Moving from a city with so much diversity to a city that low-key, high-key still felt segregated.

You start to feel 'other' when you become the only woman in the lab. Seeing how the men in the lab get treated differently than yourself. When all of the professors in your department are white. When you can count the number of POC in your department on both hands. When imposter syndrome sinks in, and you begin to question if you belong in this space. When peers comment that you are only in the program or win fellowships because you are considered a minority in STEM. When you fail your exam and "light-hearted jokes" are made about sleeping with your advisors so that you can pass the program.

Of course, I want nothing more than to be known as a scientist and judged based on my expertise, character, and merit. But how can I avoid thinking about how my identity plays a role when it feels like I'm in a space that is not truly diverse and inclusive.

So…should representation matter?

Thank you for taking the time to read this string on consciousness.

I’m open to hearing different perspectives and having a discussion!