Episode 21: She+ Stephanie Sánchez
In this episode:
This episode contains graphic descriptions of sexual harassment in the workplace. Please proceed with caution, if this content may be sensitive to you.
Stephanie Sánchez lived an idyllic childhood— just a short drive away from Caracas, the capital of Venezuela. But when Hugo Chávez won the presidency in 1999, protests broke out. As Stephanie got older, she became more involved in the protests, and soon, her father intervened. It’s been 6 years since Stephanie left Venezuela for the United States. She came to the U.S. to pursue an academic and professional career in chemical engineering.
In this episode, Stephanie talks about her experience as a chemical engineer in the U.S. We take a deep dive into the demographic make-up of women and women of color in the STEM education and workforce. The numbers are shockingly low— though they’re far better than they were in previous years. We discuss Stephanie’s experience as a woman of color with 2 degrees in chemical engineering, which if it wasn’t clear, is still pretty rare in the United States.
Stephanie gives her take on how we can encourage young girls and womxn to pursue their passions, whatever it may be, but especially if it’s in STEM. She acknowledges that it will take some time, but we need to make steps in the right direction. We also discuss the value of having role models— but also the value of paving your own path when there’s no one that looks like you to support you.
Finally, we discuss a difficult and heartbreaking workplace experience that caused Stephanie to question if she made the right choice of working in a male-dominated industry. Out of privacy concerns, Stephanie shares the incident from an anonymous perspective.
Concerns about this episode? Email us at sheis.podcasting@gmail.com.
Episode Topics:
Defining STEM
The demographic make up of STEM from both education and professional spaces
Stephanie’s idyllic life growing up in Venezuela
Her experience when Hugo Chávez won the presidency
The difficult choice of leaving her family in Venezuela to complete her academic degree in the United States
Stephanie’s experience in the academic world of chemical engineering
How her experience of having a female adviser encouraged her to pursue higher education
The things people would say to Stephanie (she’s a diversity pick, a token, etc)
Stephanie’s analysis on how we can encourage more young girls and women to enter into STEM careers
What does Stephanie do in engineering?
A deeper discussion into a difficult and hurtful experience of harassment in the workplace
How she fought back and became stronger because of the experience
Her advice to both men and women on how we can encourage all walks of life to pursue STEM careers
