My name is Yessy Medina and I’m a member of GEDI 20. As many others, I consider my identity to be a complex web of intersecting identifiers. I identify as first-generation, Mexican-American, brown, neurodivergent, bilingual, a woman, and probably many other identities that I don’t always explicitly name (ie: nerd, scholar). Navigating scholarly spaces can be challenging when you carry identities outside of the PWI (predominately White institution) “norm.” Often, we are expected to assimilate or abandon parts of ourselves to fit the mold. This could have been the case during my GEDI experience, but thankfully, I found my people and I learned it could be different.
We can go on and on about the manifestation of imposter syndrome and how it often acts as a barrier to reaching our personal and professional goals. But, what happens when we choose to use it as an enabler instead? I was very fortunate this year to have a GEDI cohort, supervisor and evaluation team that was warm, welcoming, and fostered a sense of belonging for us all. We were able to connect with others like us and uplift each other towards building the new norm. We understood each others’ struggles were unique and made space to ask the hard questions, give genuine feedback, and learn from each other.
So, what’s the lesson here? The lesson is that it’s okay to not have all the answers, know all the things, and fit the mold! Find your people and stick together. Academia and bureaucratic environments are harsh enough spaces to navigate, but you don’t have to do it alone. Find others who identify similarly and work on ways to lift each other up in these spaces that were made to keep us low.
Hi everyone, my name is Kellie Johnson and I am a proud member of the GEDI 20 cohort. It was a pleasure being a member of this cohort. To grow and learn alongside other researchers and evaluators was a valuable and rewarding experience. I found a few lessons learned from this experience most useful in navigating my time as a GEDI.
Lessons Learned
Lesson 1: We all come into this program with varied experiences and expertise. Allow yourself to be explorative in how you see your work. I found that my peers offered different perspectives, allowing me to expand my experience and thinking. Whether I agreed or not, they assisted in expanding my thinking by providing different perspectives.
Lesson 2: In that same token, when approaching evaluation don’t forget to put on that systems thinking cap. Aspects of systems do not just stand-alone, systems are a part of systems that are a part of systems that are a part of systems. In evaluation, although we may work in one particular aspect of that system, the impact from that one component has an impact on the greater system. Most importantly, especially when we discuss culture. So consider systems thinking as a way to approach your evaluative work.
Lesson 3: Never take the power of your voice for granted. When working in collaboration and community, one voice is not going to change the world. However, I have witnessed GEDI 20 grow in various ways. How we have found power in our voices to work together and accomplish the larger goal has been most rewarding, and we should continue encouraging one another to continue finding our voices in the work and communities in which we engage
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