Mestiza Quest to Find Her Place in Academia and STEM in the Face of Adversity

In this 33-minute talk, Dr. Erika Tatiana Camacho of Arizona State University shares her personal journey as a Mestiza navigating the challenges of STEM and academia while existing at the intersection of multiple identities. Follow her story of resilience as she discusses overcoming physical and imaginary borders imposed by others, tradition, and disciplinary fields. Learn about the sacrifices and struggles she faced while embracing her intersectional identities—including her Indigenous and Spanish ancestry—and becoming unapologetic for who she is despite adversity. Discover how growing up in East Los Angeles, earning a PhD from an Ivy League institution, contributing to the NSF HSI Program, becoming a Fulbright Research Scholar, and expanding her research to include wet lab work shaped her understanding of the challenges many students and faculty encounter. Gain insights from her experiences of constant reinvention, as she highlights pivotal decisions and key individuals that contributed to her continued success and transformation in academia and STEM. Recorded March 7, 2025, as part of IPAM's LatMath 2025 Workshop.