ANAVI: Welcome to the IDRA Classnotes podcast. My name is Anavi Prakash, and I'm a sophomore at Northwestern University. This summer, I am a communications intern for IDRA. Today, we will be sharing insights from two of IDRA's STEM equity ambassadors. The STEM Equity Ambassadors program is for educators who want to increase equity in their fields. During the program, ambassadors participated in local discussion-based sessions and two STEM equity boot camps, where ambassadors collaborated with their peers from other parts of the country. Nationally, 32 educators participated in the program. Ambassadors' work culminated in their equity action plan, which highlighted what they want to do to combat inequities in their work. So before we jump into our discussion, I would like our listeners to get to know you all a little better. So, Dr. Hernandez, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and why you wanted to become a STEM equity ambassador?
JAMES: Thank you. My name is Dr. James Hernandez. I currently teach middle school technology applications at Harlandale ISD. I also serve on the School Board of Edgewood ISD. I've been doing that for several years. I just finished my first full year of teaching in Harlandale, and I plan on being back this coming year. Why I chose to be part of the program, I liked the environment that I thought would occur during a program based on equity. The reason I say that is because it can be difficult to have these conversations and many professionals or many people in general may not be comfortable having a conversation on equity or talking about inequalities and things like that. And so, I found, you know, in the program, that it was a, a brave space to talk about these things. And not just talk about, you know, the good things we're doing, but also the struggles that we've had. And I was able to get a lot of that, that feedback from the cohort.
AMANDA: Well, I'm Dr. Amanda Roberts. I am an academic program director for St. Philip's College Southwest Campus, as well as an alumni for the University of Incarnate Word, and I am excited to be part of the STEM Equity Ambassador program because I wanted to give back to my community. Born and raised in San Antonio, graduated from Roosevelt High School in the class of '06. And I saw a lot of things that were missing that were associated with STEM. And I wanted to find, "What, what can I do with the experience that I have? Whether it be, you know, career-wise, as well as academic-wise, what can I give back to the San Antonio community?" Because one of the things we did have, uh, was we didn't have as many opportunities as we do now. Coming back to San Antonio, I saw an endless supply of opportunities that have grown, not including cybersecurity, but also other STEM fields, and as well as entrepreneurship that are available. It's pretty awesome to be a part of the STEM ecosystem here in San Antonio, where I can use things, I've learned while I was at grad school, what I've learned through organizations internationally, and nationally, and give back to my community. And see us grow. And we, as San Antonians, get hired, not hire anybody else to come to San Antonio, which is important.
ANAVI: The STEM Equity Ambassadors program is meant for educators who are either starting or already on their professional paths. And before we jump into all of that, I'm just curious, why did you both want to stay and work in San Antonio, which is also where you grew up?
AMANDA: Well, I'll go ahead and start. I wanted to stay in San Antonio, being born and raised here. And I believed that there were opportunities for me to make a difference. We were still in the phase-- when I came back in 2021 - fresh from my PhDs, I came here in 2013, 2014, I just got my master's. Became a teacher, middle school teacher. And I was, "Okay, I need to get my PhD and make a difference," not just for the kids, but also for the parents and kids as well. So, coming back to San Antonio was perfect timing in 2021. You know, the Alamo STEM Ecosystem started. We have Philosophy Texas out here. We have Texas Biomedical Sciences. And so many organizations and network affiliations here in San Antonio that the kids and students don't know about. So being a part of those organizations, and then disseminating information back to the students, both undergrad as well as grad school and K-12, was awesome. And, you know, San Antonio's a beautiful city with great culture.
JAMES: I can think of at least two main reasons why I wanted to stay. Growing up, my family was very oriented toward helping other family members, but just also being involved in the community. And I didn't realize how much it would impact me, right, until I left for my master's degree in Salt Lake City, Utah, and I realized how different it was, almost taking for granted all the support systems that I had, all the support from friends, family, and just kind of being in a, a familiar environment. And, realizing that, going from somewhere like San Antonio where people look and talk like me, like it was very comfortable, then going to somewhere where it's opposite. That's where I kind of understood what it meant to be out of place. Having experienced that and then moving back, of course, to San Antonio, I want to make that more apparent to students that I teach, that we do have a lot of support here and that, it can be unique in some instances. We live in a unique city, but also recognize that not every place is like this and that there are places that may need work, on moving towards a more equitable or more that safe or brave environment. The second reason why, I do stay, why I do teach, and why I enjoy teaching is because I can be that representative to the students that said, "Hey, it's okay to learn and to experience other things, but always remember that, you know, we still need help here. We need you here to help the next generation of students that may not always feel supported in that way." Those would be my two reasons.
ANAVI: And in both of your answers, it seems like you're already touching on a big part of this program, which is equity. So, in a couple of sentences, as an educator, what does equity mean to you? Dr. Hernandez, if you want to go first.
JAMES: Equity, for me on a very basic level, is receiving the support, information or just any resource that you need when you need it. Not necessarily always. And it's like teaching in that way, where a student might need certain support for certain material, and they might understand others. There's a constant balance of giving support and holding support back to make sure that people also grow. Because it's not about just giving someone everything all at once. It's about providing that support when it's needed, not necessarily too soon or too late either. That was my attempt at one or two sentences.
AMANDA: For us, as educators, equity is seeing students and obviously, students must be in a classroom, but also your students when they're right up where you're at. Seeing students believing in themselves and thinking: “what I can do, that I can be the best version of myself no matter where I came from.” That’s the most important part for me. That means a lot to me. Because when I was little, I was like, "How am I going to become a scientist if nobody in my family is a scientist?" Because normally, everyone says, "Hey, for you to make it, you are going to have your parents to connect you. I was like, "Well, my parents, they know how to network, but they don't have, you know, those types of connections." So, I think it's for equity, to make sure, that no matter where people come from, they can be successful. They have the same access to opportunities. It may come to them differently, but at the same time, the opportunities there. And have those mentors to help support them and encourage them to be great in whatever they choose to do.
ANAVI: And in your definitions, these are things that I saw echoed in your action plans. Um, Dr. Hernandez, some of the big ideas in yours were to support students by giving them the resources to kind of pave their own path and find what they are passionate about. And Dr. Roberts, you talked a lot about uplifting students and empowering them, especially in STEM, in your action plan. So I'm just curious, when it comes to your experience as a student in San Antonio, how did that impact your action plan, if at all, uh, Dr. Roberts?
AMANDA: First it was my fourth-grade math teacher as she saw my love for math, and that I was good because I didn't work so hard to get it, it just made sense to me. And her seeing my ability, my talent, and her is like, "Okay." Of course, the next you knew it, the next year, in fifth grade, I was in the most complicated math class. And I was like, I want-- I can't just wake up and do the homework quick, I got to put in the work. But just seeing that experience, I remember that, throughout the undergrad, grad school, and my doctorate program, that made a big difference for me. It taught me how I could see myself and how I should believe in myself no matter what.
JAMES: I guess, like Dr. Roberts, I had some great teachers, you know, that supported me. And so, when I was thinking about the plan, I was trying to think of what those teachers do, or what those teachers say to me that made me enjoy being at school. And then also, on the flip side of that, I had a few teachers that I would say, "Man, I'm, I'm going to try to do the opposite of what they did and, and how they treated me or what they told me." And, interestingly, Dr. Roberts mentioned math because I feel like I did not have very supportive math teachers because I did struggle a lot in math. I still struggle a lot in math, but I felt like many of those negative experiences stuck with me. And very often, I think the negative ones are the ones that, in my mind, stick out more often. And so, I must try very hard to think of, "Man, you know what? I have had a lot of those positive experiences," because if I didn't, I wouldn't be where I am today, at the level of, of education that I have. Again, it's, it's about taking, the good, recognizing the good and all these great things that teachers do, but also recognizing that we still have work to do. Not all teachers receive the same training or have the same outlook, such as equity or equality. And so, I guess, recognizing those gaps that still exist.
ANAVI: And in terms of these gaps, looking at the next steps for your role in equity and education, how do you envision equity in San Antonio growing as a whole in the education system? And what do you want your role to be in that growth? Dr. Hernandez, you can go first.
JAMES: San Antonio's unique because of all the school districts that we have. It's so segmented, But I would say equity, for me, is having access to resources for young children, especially. I think San Antonio's-- we've had some very good leaders in the past few decades that have been, oriented with getting students in school at a younger age because that shows growth and that shows there's a lot of research behind students that are starting pre-K3 or pre-K4, that they do better in, in our school system. And I think that, if I would see equity in San Antonio, it would be opportunities for all families to have access to that. Whether or not families take up on the offer-- because there are still some families that maybe they don't recognize the value yet of early childhood education. But I think that we are moving in a better direction. So, to me, access for all students for pre-K3, pre-K4, is on the top of my list.
ANAVI: And in terms of that access, do you have a role you envision yourself playing in that?
JAMES: Well, if I'm still teaching middle school, all those early reading and math skills, the earlier we can start, developing those, the better. And then when we see them in elementary, of course, middle school, and high school, I see myself just building and being able to teach the students the material instead of teaching students the basic reading skills. Because that is still an issue that we struggle with, I think, in middle school and high school. And even, even up into the higher ed level, there are still some skills that are lacking when it comes to reading literacy and things like that.
ANAVI: And Dr. Roberts, from the other side of education, I guess, from the college side, do you have a vision for how you want to see equity in education grow in San Antonio?
AMANDA: Yes. I want to see how much-expanded equity in education. But I also want to expand it to make sure we have equity in other areas so that kids can learn. This includes healthcare, food, shelter, and the child not worried about what's going to happen next in their lives. That is so important for them to be a part of, being in school and getting those opportunities, but living within those opportunities, not worried about what tomorrow's going to bring. I see that, San Antonio, we have these resources available, but those resources are presented to everyone to ensure that they are going to see themselves in those high-paying jobs. Even though their parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles never see them in high-paying jobs, they see themselves that way. And while they're going on that journey, it's going to be different. They may go solo for a minute, but that's okay, that they continue to stay, have faith and maintain their beliefs. If they are Christians, believe that God's going to see them through, and believe in themselves. And seeing that we are continuing to keep our San Antonians here, not just here, just because, but here and thriving for themselves and for the next generations and more generations to come. So that's what I see.
ANAVI: And do you have a role that you envision yourself in to make that vision a reality?
AMANDA: So, the role I would like to be at, I'm very excited about what position I am in now. I been part of the community of colleges of Alamo District. And not only that but also being a part of helping through the K-12 in different districts. So, I want to be a part of the school system, not just for K-12, but for the adults and educating the parents. Because not all parents are going to be in school. But going into the community and educating the parents, "Okay, this is what we can do to continue to support our kids when they're about to go to college, when they're in college, after college. Making sure they're good emotionally, physically, financially, mentally, psychologically." So yes, about that whole area.
ANAVI: Okay. Well, thank you both so much for your time and for your work in this program. It has been really cool to read your action plans, and then actually talk to you about them and hear your ideas for the future of equity in education. So, thank you again.