How Identity Has Influenced a Scholar Support Analyst's Career at San Diego State University
Katia, a Latina Scholar Support Analyst, initially viewed her identity as a potential negative, feeling "other," but later embraced it as a significant career asset. This shift allowed Katia to leverage "different world perspectives" and fluency in Spanish, building trust with research participants and ultimately contributing a unique and valuable viewpoint to their work.
Cultural Awareness, Communication Skills, Cross-Cultural Collaboration, Building Trust, Overcoming Imposter Syndrome
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Katia Garcia
Scholar Support Analyst
San Diego State University
UCLA
N/a
Philosophy
Education
Research and Development (R&D)
Pell Grant Recipient, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Transfer Student, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Katia's experience as a Latina has been a significant asset in her career, particularly when working with Spanish-speaking populations and building trust with research participants who might otherwise be hesitant.
2. She initially viewed her identity as a potential disadvantage but later embraced it as a source of strength and unique perspective, highlighting the importance of self-acceptance and confidence in career progression.
3. Katia's journey emphasizes the value of diverse perspectives and cultural understanding in professional settings, particularly in research and community engagement roles. She encourages others to embrace their identities and see them as assets rather than liabilities.
Transcript
As someone who identifies as Latina, how has that impacted how you've navigated your career?
It has definitely been a huge positive. When I was younger and a little more naive, I used to think being "other" was kind of a negative thing because I didn't identify with everyone else. I didn't feel I had things in common with other people.
But I think being who I am has a lot of strengths. For instance, I speak Spanish, and I live in a city where it's the most dominating language. So, sometimes while I don't identify with my coworkers, they can't speak Spanish, and I'm like, "Oh, here's a strength that I have."
Or sometimes we go into populations that are very closed off. They don't trust research, they don't want to associate, and they don't want to become participants. They look at the researcher, and this researcher is from, like, England, and they're like, "Oh, wait, I don't trust you with my information."
But somebody like me can come in and be like, "I am you. I identify as you, and I want to help you if you can just answer this survey." It creates trust. So, I think when you're younger, you think that your identifiers can be a negative thing, regardless of what you are.
I know I was like that, especially throughout my early teens and late teens and early twenties. I was like, "Oh, I shouldn't tell people I'm Latina and maybe get away with my white passing," because that's what you're taught. And then I realized that's a negative. Being me is a super positive.
It has definitely impacted how I navigated my career. I'm always putting my best foot forward. I'm like, "I speak Spanish, I migrated to this country from Mexico, I have different world perspectives, and I can identify with participants. I have culture. I can have a different point of view." And I feel like I add a lot.
But I think it took for me to embrace it and see it as a positive in order for it to have that positive impact. If I went the other route and sheltered myself, just saw myself as "other," I could see how my career would be negatively impacted by that because it's the way I would carry myself.
I would always say, just be yourself and try to find the positives in what it is you identify as because it's a good perspective to have.