How Identity Has Influenced a Principal at Legacy College Prep Ednovate’s Career
Evelyn's experience as a first-generation college student and woman of color significantly shaped their career path, marked by initial struggles with "imposter syndrome" and a lack of representation as "the only school leader who identified as a woman". Overcoming these challenges involved self-awareness, seeking mentorship from those sharing similar identities, and embracing discomfort through continuous professional development and challenging experiences.
Overcoming Challenges, Leadership, Mentorship, Imposter Syndrome, Confidence
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Evelyn Castro
Principal
Legacy College Prep- Ednovate Charter Schools
UC Santa Barbara, 2009
Loyola Marymount University- Masters in Administration and Admin Credential
Anthropology, Sociology, Ethnic & Related Studies
Education
Education
Honors Student, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Immigrant, Worked 20+ Hours in School, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Overcoming imposter syndrome and confidence challenges as a first-generation college student and woman of color.
2. Seeking professional development opportunities, mentorship, and coaching to support career growth.
3. Stepping outside comfort zones to gain experience and build confidence.
Transcript
As someone who identifies as a first-generation college student and a woman of color, how has that impacted how you navigate your career?
Yes, that's definitely very much a part of my experience as a school leader, particularly when it comes to my identity as a woman of color. For a very long time in my organization, I was the only school leader who identified as a woman; all other principals were male. It showed up in that way.
I think often, as a first-generation college student, you struggle with confidence, and imposter syndrome is very real, especially in your early career years. So, those are definitely challenges that come about with some of these identity markers.
What has helped is getting to a place of awareness. Knowing, being able to say, "Okay, these are examples, these are symptoms of imposter syndrome. I know that this is what's happening to me right now or what I'm experiencing." So, awareness is one.
The second thing is continuing to seek support. Some of those things for me came in the form of professional development, being able to seek opportunities to continue to grow. Also, having coaches and mentors who shared my same identity has been super helpful.
It's like, "Here's someone I can look up to, someone aspirational, who has maybe experienced the same things and shares the same identity markers." So that's been really helpful.
And then the last one, connected to my identity as a first-generation college student, has been being willing to make myself uncomfortable. Being willing and able to put myself in situations that are uncomfortable. The more I do it, the more comfortable I become with it, and the easier things get.