On the fifth day of the Explorers Program Alicia Morales came to give a presentation and discussion on imposterism. She explained how it is more common than you may think as she also experiences this feeling. Prior to the presentation the whole Explorers group took a survey that would show who felt imposterism and how much, and the majority had at least some feelings of imposterism. In the presentation she went over the definition, the 5 different types, the consequences, and how to combat imposterism. I found it all very intriguing as it ties closely to mental health which I have a deep interest in. I found it very interesting to hear about the consequences of imposterism as it creates self-doubt and low self esteem, affects your career growth, makes you second guess your leadership, and restricts innovation and risk taking. Theres such a stigma around talking about mental health and topics interrelated which is why I really appreciate the presentation and discussion we had.
Alicia Morales presenting on imposter syndrome
“This psychological phenomenon, known as imposter syndrome, reflects a belief that you’re an inadequate, a fraud and/or incompetent failure despite evidence that indicates you’re skilled and quite successful.” To know many feel imposter syndrome is mind boggling yet also relieving. To also now know there’s five different types is so interesting. Alicia taught us there’s the perfectionist, the expert, the superman/superwoman, the soloist, and the natural genius. Everyone has their own experience and there’s so many ways it can play out. But there’s also ways to combat it such as separating feelings from facts, visualizing success, developing a new response to failure, and breaking the silence. Having Alicia come and speak to us I believe is very vital, to begin talking about these topics is great to start at a younger age, especially as we all have interest in the STEM field.
The Explorers last day in the lab
Coming to the Explorers program I didn’t totally know what my experience was going to be like but it was definitely better than expected. I appreciate that we were able to do a variety of things. I enjoyed being able to listen to different presenters come in whether they were talking about research, their job, their life experience, various topics, or college experience. I also enjoyed the opportunities to have lunch with various people. I got to eat with various Native fellows, staff and students from Fred Hutch, my science teacher, TA’s, SHIP students, and new friends. We also stil did a lab nearly everyday and learned about different aspects of cancer. As a Native person I appreciated being surrounded by different people of color interested in the STEM field and being able to occasionally see Native people as I walked around Fred Hutch as it is not a common experience.