Imposter Syndrome Series Reflection

In our very first online virtual Professional Development series, we discussed the topic of imposter phenomenon, more commonly known as imposter syndrome. According to a 2020 review, anywhere between 9% and 82% of people will experience imposter phenomenon in their lifetime, but it is most common in women/femmes and racial and ethnic minorities. Our speakers for the event series included Dr. Devasmita Chakraverty, a researcher at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad who has dedicated her career to studying the phenomenon of impostor syndrome, and Melissa Tilleman Ryan (M.S., LPC, NCC), who shared her therapeutic knowledge to explain how to move beyond imposter phenomenon (those presentations can be found here). Dr. Devasmita Chakraverty discussed her psychological research on imposter phenomenon and how it impacts people. She explained that imposter phenomenon is not just a voice in your head and that it can have real academic and professional consequences when you doubt yourself. Melissa Tilleman Ryan presented tips and tricks to overcoming imposter syndrome. She discussed how to feel more confident and how to harness moments when you feel most empowered. One participant from Melissa's talk said, “Knowing I am not alone and how to handle the inner thoughts will help me in my development. Thank you!” During the first day of the webinar, we experienced a “zoom bombing” where someone broke into our zoom call and spewed hate speech. This was shocking and appalling, but it was proof of how important these community safe spaces are that we build and share together. In the rescheduled event, it was powerful to see women and femmes supporting each other and being vulnerable with one another, proving that we will not let hate tear us apart. Here is what our president, Lilli, had to say about the event:Additionally, there were two more events in the series. The first was the BIPOC in STEM Imposter Syndrome Lunch & Learn, which was a partnership with AVDS. Panelists Johannah Hamilton, MS, PhD ABD, Ingrid Liao MS, BS, Swetha Murthy, PhD, and Eleonora Juarez PhD discussed how imposter syndrome impacts women of color in STEM, often more severely because they can experience both gender-based and racist stigmas in educational and professional life. After the event, all the speakers encouraged participants to reach out for advice or mentorship.The final event was the Resiliency Community Discussion. This was an open community discussion that involved casual guided discussion among members of the WIS PDX community. We reflected on the events of the series and discussed how we could use what we learned to become more resilient together. These types of discussions will continue in our monthly WIS supporting WIS events which offer discussion space for women to seek support for tough topics like imposter syndrome and discrimination. Meetings are every third Thursday of every month at 6pm, the next event being on December 20th (Register here).Personally, I was in awe at the incredible community support that was shown during this series of events. As our first virtual web series, everyone had been feeling a little disconnected because of the pandemic, and seeing women and femmes uplift one another was powerful. Although I have only been interning for WIS PDX for a few months, I have immense respect for the incredibly talented women who organize and attend every event. Seeing that the people I look up to also sometimes feel like they aren’t good enough was shocking to me at first. I am only an undergraduate student and these women have doctoral degrees, they are conducting research and leading some of the most rigorous fields out there. But it also reminded me that we are all hard on ourselves sometimes, especially as women who have to face patriarchal misogyny every day, and that’s what binds us together. That’s exactly what I saw in the chats of each event, and in the responses afterwards: women coming together to share vulnerable experiences and support one another in a community. My internship with WIS PDX will be coming to a close at the end of the year, but I am so glad I got to witness the kindness this community has to offer while I was here. Author BioNova Platt is a senior psychology major at Lewis & Clark College. She was born in Portland and has lived here her entire life. Nova is passionate about making the world more equitable for all people regardless of gender, sexuality, race, ability, nationality, religion, or any other identity. In her free time, she likes to make jewelry, paint, and listen to ridiculously long playlists of music.