sabrina
li
"There aren't that many women of physics, but there are even less women of color—or even people of color. Sometimes, I just want to hide and not be seen as 'that Chinese girl.'
In my upper division classes, I am often the only person of color... It's been a challenge trying to understand if I'm actually competent enough for this major."
alejandra
castillo
"A lot of people in the math department are post-racial, asserting that racism isn't a thing anymore. They don't see how innate some racist ideas are, or how they can permeate through their comments and actions.
I think this is something the college doesn't really know how to deal with. They implement a lot of programs to help first-generation, low-income minority youth and students. But they're not really talking about what's causing a lot of social inequality and education inequity.
We all come into this same college with different backgrounds and educational experiences, so all of these things become apparent in the classroom. But people don't talk about it, and they pretend like we're all on the same level. They think that the people who aren't doing as well need to just work a little bit harder.
They don't talk about how first-generation college students are in the same classroom as kids who are legacies at this school. There are deep, deep inequalities there; issues of access, knowledge, information, and confidence.
Many students feel like imposters, and they don't talk about it. It seems like they cover this up with initiatives that the college starts. And that's supposed to solve problems. They're all very noble causes, but the college should also talk about the histories of inequality and how that manifests in current students' everyday experiences."