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Ivanna Escala, graduate student at Caltech
Award recipient at the 2015 CAMP Symposium |
This interview is part of a series of posts on the Astronomy In Color blog dedicated to recognizing achievements by outstanding astronomers of color. Feel free to contact Jorge Moreno (jorgemoreno AT cpp.edu) if you know any other person of color in astronomy who has recently won an award or made any other accomplishment.
Burgasser: How did it feel to get
into one of the top graduate programs in Astronomy?
Escala: It felt surreal. I never considered myself to be part of the
group of people that could get into a top program. When I was accepted into
Caltech, I didn’t even realize what was happening. They were comparatively late
to respond, so I already thought that I had been rejected without notice, which
wasn’t too hard to convince myself of since I thought I had thrown a hundred
dollars out the window by applying at all. The astronomy option representative
requested a meeting over Skype with me, and I prepared for it as if it was an
interview – so when I was told that I was accepted, I was quite pleasantly
surprised!
Burgasser: Please tell me more
about yourself. What’s your story?
Escala: I’m a half Costa Rican, half Argentinian first-generation
American. When my mother knew that I was on the way, she decided to move to the
United States in hope that I would have a better life here. I’m very grateful
for the difficult decision that she made, because otherwise I do not think that
I would be where I am today. When my family immigrated to the U.S., we ended up
in New Jersey, where I spent most of my life. I went to high school in San
Diego, then got my Bachelors in physics from UCSD. I feel as if somehow I stumbled
into university on accident, since I never really thought about it during high
school and had no idea what I was doing when I finally decided I should apply.
I am the first in my family to go to college, and it seems that I will be the
first to get a PhD as well!
Burgasser: What inspired you to
pursue a career in astrophysics?
Escala: I’ve loved astrophysics since I was a child. I used to watch
documentaries on the Discovery channel about space and have my mother take me
to the library, where I would check out nonfiction books about the
universe. Once I even got my uncle to
take me to the American Museum of Natural History in New York, where I went to the
planetarium, got to see cool meteors, and ate a cookie that looked like
Jupiter! In high school, my physics teacher, who encouraged me to take AP
Physics, had a big influence on my life. Although I had always been skilled at
mathematics, it wasn’t until then that I realized I could do physics. Given my
childhood, it only seemed natural to declare as a physics with specialization
in astrophysics major when entering university! I couldn’t think of anything
more worth studying than the universe itself.
Burgasser: What
makes working in Astronomy unique and compelling?
Escala: One of my favorite things about working in astrophysics is the
independence. The sense of ownership over a project – of learning all the
relevant background, diving into the problem, writing your own code to perform
the analysis, presenting your work to the scientific community -- contributes
to a great sense of accomplishment. I can honestly say that I learn something
new everyday. Sometimes it’s hard to wrap my head around the fact that by
sitting at my computer all day, I’m working toward contributing to humanity’s
knowledge of the universe. What could be more awesome?
Burgasser: What challenges or
obstacles have you faced in your career? How have you overcome these
challenges?
Escala: The challenges that I’ve faced boil down to a lack of guidance
and support, low self-esteem as a scientist, and a little bit of outright
sexism. All are likely a consequence of my background, so the three things seem
to go hand-in-hand. I had no guidance from my family, who could not provide it
due to a similar lack of experience. Going to college was never something that
was emphasized or talked about – my parents never saved to fund my education. I
found out everything I needed to know about applying to university (and
somewhat similarly for grad school) from the internet. When I was accepted into
UCSD, a classmate of mine expressed surprise, saying that it was only probably
because I was a Hispanic female. I remember thinking that person was probably
right.
It was difficult; I often felt lost and out of my depth, and
doubted if I belonged in physics. I struggled with the fact that I was feminine
in a male-dominated field. But it gives me comfort to know that I am entirely
self-motivated, and ultimately I know that I got myself where I am today and I
deserve to be here. I know that I can succeed, because I can always count on
myself and I got here on my own merits.
Even today, I sometimes find it difficult to identify with other
graduate students at Caltech, due to our differing backgrounds. It’s hard not
to compare yourself to someone who has been groomed for academia since middle
school or who has a family filled with doctors, engineers, and scientists. But
it’s important to remember that everyone is born into different circumstances,
and there really is no legitimate comparison between you and someone else. I
just always try to do the best that I can, and not seek validation as a
scientist through others.
Burgasser: As you have personally observed, people of color - especially women of color - are severely under-represented and face social barriers in our field. Can you
point to one or two factors (specific programs, individual mentors, etc.) that
have helped you succeed?
Escala: Mentorship has been extremely important in my life. I am very
fortunate to have had supportive and kind research advisors as an
undergraduate. I can say with certainty that I would not be where I am today
without them. In particular, my research advisor at UCSD helped me prove
to myself that I could become a successful scientist. He encouraged me to apply
to Caltech, even though I honestly thought that I didn’t have a chance. Look at
where I am now! I hope that one day I will be able to do the same for someone
else as a mentor.
Burgasser: I'm sure you are aware
of the sexual harassment by faculty at many of our top Astronomy programs,
including Caltech; how are you approaching these issues as a promising young
woman in science?
Escala: I’m definitely aware of the Title IX issues within astronomy.
Unfortunately, I’m certain that these issues have a long history, and are only
now beginning to be appropriately addressed. I think one of the best ways to
approach this issue as a woman is to not let it be discouraging – pursue your
career in astronomy just as vigorously, if not even more so, because having a
larger female presence within the field is something that will help resolve
this issue. It is important to work to maintain a supportive graduate student
community within your program, so that anyone who is subjected to harassment
does not feel isolated. A tight-knit graduate community has a strong voice that
can be heard by the faculty and the administration, and thus we have power to
bring attention to these issues and call for change.
Burgasser: Can you share any
ideas you have for making astronomy a more equitable and inclusive community?
For dismantling racism and sexism in general?
Escala: I think that raising awareness and having a line of
communication open between students and faculty is essential to making the
field more inclusive. Often times, others do not know that a problem even
exists, either because of a lack of communication, or because they are
incapable of seeing the problem in the first place. Programs that emphasize the
advancement of groups traditionally underrepresented in STEM by providing them
with a supportive network and access to information/opportunities, such as the
California Alliance for Minority Participation (CAMP), are an excellent way to
combat the bias that has been entrenched in our society. As people from diverse
backgrounds occupy more and more high-ranking positions in the field, racism/sexism
will likely become less of an issue.
Burgasser: What advice would you
give to other young women of color interested in following your path?
Escala: Do not give up. Know that you are not alone, even if you may
feel that way within your department. I would bet that other women of color
have felt almost exactly the same things that you have—it has nothing to do
with any fault of your own. Your success is not just your own. The path before
you may be difficult, but by walking it you remove some of those difficulties
for the women that will follow you.
Burgasser: Any final words?
Escala: Thank you for taking the time to read this! I hope that this has
been helpful.
