71: Networking and Conferencing 101 with Dra. Ana Guerrero

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Welcome everyone. I am really happy today that we have another really awesome guest speaker. Today we have Dra. Ana Guerrero, who will be discussing the topic of networking and conferencing one on one. As I usually do, I'll begin by reading her bio.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Dra. Ana is a PhD graduate from the UC Santa Barbara department of Education, where she conducted longitudinal research on the narratives of first gen Latinx students' college and career aspirations development, and identity development. She received her Bachelor's degree in sociology from UC Berkeley, and her Master's degree in Education from UC Santa Barbara. Ana has supported first gen high school students and their families in preparing and applying to college in both English and Spanish. She has also worked with HSI initiatives, supporting first gen college students' college transition and grad school preparation, while also supporting transfer students' transition to the research university at UCSB. Ana's professional, academic and personal experiences inform her commitment to advocate and further equity and inclusion in higher ed, especially in grad school. So welcome. Welcome, Ana.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

Thank you so much. Thank you for having me. I'm excited to share a little bit about myself and my experiences with conferencing and networking.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Yes. It makes a lot of sense to have you today. After reading your bio, I'm like, yes. This is in line with the podcast. So happy to have you here. We'd love for you to share a little bit more about yourself, expand more on kind of what I read from your bio - your background, and also what led you to pursuing your doctoral program.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

Yeah, so I was born in Mexico. We immigrated here at a young age. You know, grew up speaking both English and Spanish, but English is my second language. Took remedial English courses, also had the free and reduced lunch services throughout. I have that experience that many immigrant students have. And I was actually not introduced to college until my senior year in high school, because I moved to a different high school that had more resources.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

There, I was part of a college outreach program that provided college information, campus trips, tutoring, and college application support. That was my first introduction to the college world. And I did apply, and I got into seven out of the eight four year institutions that I applied to with the fee waiver.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Nice.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

You know there's four UCs and Cal States.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Yes.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

However, since I was introduced to college at such a later stage in my high school career, I wasn't quite there yet in terms of developing a college identity, a college going identity. A lot of my peers also weren't going off to a four year college after high school, so for me, it was a very sudden decision that I would take that I didn't feel prepared for. So I ended up going to the local two year college- Santa Barbara City College, along with my friends, along with my older brother. That just felt safe, right? When I was at Santa Barbara City College, I was introduced to more options that are out there because- I'm a local from Santa Barbara, by the way. I had to- in my mind, UCSB is the school I wanted to go to as an undergrad. But I wasn't introduced to anything else outside of this bubble.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Was it because you were from here that that's why you wanted to go to UCSB?

Dra. Ana Guerrero

Yeah, because I was from here, because I grew up surrounded by college students. I grew up in Goleta near...

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

That's where I am right now.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

Oh, that's where I grew up. That's where I spent a lot of my childhood, in Goleta. Anyway, I was always surrounded by these college students, and my dad worked there. My dad worked at UCSB as a gardener. It was just what I knew. But then when I was at the two year college- at SBCC- I was introduced to more options, another world. That's when a transfer trip program counselor really pushed me to look into more options. I ended up going to Berkeley. However...

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

That's far, for a first gen student especially.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

That's far. And I was the first one in my family to leave. I was the first one in my social circle to leave.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

That's a big deal.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

It was very scary. I had a lot of uncertainty. I wasn't quite yet there with like- yes, I belong here. So it took a lot out of me, and it took a lot of support from people as well. But I was there, and something that I always am mindful to share with people is that when you are a two year college student, your goal- for many of us- is only to transfer, and not quite prepare for life after college, which would be a career or graduate school, whatever it may be.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

So when you do a transfer, then now we have two or three years to prepare for life after college, while you are trying to adjust to that college culture. You come in running, and it's really hard to really get involved in leadership opportunities, and research, connect with faculty, and prepare for life after college. It's just very overwhelming. Something I always like to share is to start preparing for life after college- if you attend a two year college- at the two year college. Just start connecting with faculty. Start looking into what graduate school is and research opportunities.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

It feels so far away too, I can imagine, when you're in a CC.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

Exactly. It's a time where our focus is transferring and nothing else. But then once we do transfer, there's just very little time to get that together. Long story short, after Berkeley, I still didn't quite know what to do, because I was focusing on graduating. So I took two years off and I worked. I came back to Santa Barbara and I worked. So from there...

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Can I ask you to follow up a little bit more on that?

Dra. Ana Guerrero

Definitely.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Because I've been getting a lot of folks asking about gap years. and I think it would help to hear a little bit more from someone who has taken a gap year. Maybe just a little bit- the benefits or the struggles, the pros and the cons of your experiene taking the- you said two years between?

Dra. Ana Guerrero

Yes. For me, like I said, I was a transfer student. So it was very hard to really set myself up personally. I actually did take a introduction to graduate school course at Berkeley. That helped me learn about different programs- the difference between a Master's versus a PhD, and the UC system and the Cal State system, or private institutions as well. So I had to take the gap years to really figure out what I wanted to do, and learn a little bit more about what graduate school was. Because at that point, I still didn't know. Not many people I knew had gone to graduate school. It was only my professors, and maybe my TAs.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

Then, those two gap years I worked at summer of Santa Barbara City College. I went back and worked there in a program for first gen college students. I was there talking to a lot of people, trying to just pull information from whoever I could. And one of my supervisors there actually had just earned her PhD at UCSB. So she really introduced me to what I would be doing as a PhD student, and how to apply and who to connect with. She really encouraged me to reach out to a faculty member in education, who then became my advisor. That was my way to go, was connect to someone- a faculty member- and sharing my research interests with him. Letting him know, I was interested, and who I was, and what I've done. So he was more than happy to take me in when I did apply.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

That was my process. But I did have people help me with the statement of purpose. I did have people help me with the application process. It was a community effort. But I did need my time. I needed my time after college, where I'm not worrying about my finals, and graduating- whatever that entails. So I needed the extra time as a first gen student to really dig in and understand what the process was like, and what I would be getting myself into too.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Oh, that's really helpful to hear. I think it'll be helpful for a lot of the listeners too, because a lot of folks feel like they need that time off.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

Yeah.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Just because it's been such a whirlwind of the last sixteen months or plus. But then at the same time, there's that anxiety of- well, how am I going to make the most of it? How am I going to maintain connections? And still make sure that they hold themselves accountable to applying, if they really want to go to grad school?

Dra. Ana Guerrero

Right.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

I think it would be good to also talk about - because you said went to CC, then transferred to Berkeley. Then took two years off and applied to grad school. I'm assuming that's when you got your Master's and PhD, at UCSB. So at some point, you must have learned about conferences. At what point did you learn about academic conferences? And what was that like? Because I'll tell you, my first time going to a conference, I don't think I realized what I got myself into until I was actually physically there.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

Yeah. Conferences, honestly, were my favorite parts of my whole graduate education journey. Because that is where I got to connect with people I admire- their work, people who I was reading in class about, and just leaders in the community. You get to learn from them in person. It was my all time favorite, so I did attend many conferences. But yeah, you're right. They can be very intimidating, because you're interacting with a lot of people who have been in their fields for many years, and they're professionals and so it's intimidating to present yourself as someone like their colleague, or someone that you could- you know, it's a give and take kind of relationship when you're in conferences. Necause not only are you learning and networking, but you're also reciprocating that to others and sharing your work as well when you present. But did you- what do you mean about you not knowing what you got yourself into at conferences?

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Well, my first time going to a conference was in undergrad. It was because I was a Mellon May fellow, and they took us to a West Coast Regional Conference. So they're like, oh, you're gonna go to a conference, and you're gonna present your work. That's all I knew.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

Okay.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Then when we actually went, it was at Stanford. It was my first time getting on a plane, and it was my first time traveling without my family. I didn't really know the proper like etiquette and decorum.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

Right.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

All of a sudden, there's fancy spoons, and forks, and knives- salad fork. I was like, do you go inside out, outside in? A lot of things that I was just like, I didn't know that we were gonna. Like I didn't even know about the concept of panels, you know, things like that. It was all new.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

Right.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Completely new. Even in grad school, it took a while for me to figure out the routine of, oh, there are national associations for every discipline. All of them have annual conferences, and you have to figure out when the deadlines are. Then if the conference is in a certain time of year, you're probably applying six months in advance. All those things, it took me a while to figure it out.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

Yeah.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

I wish someone would have told me- because I was always very shy and didn't ask enough questions- from the beginning, this is what an academic conferences is. This is how they function. This is when you generally apply. And this is what's expected of you when you're there. I didn't get that one on one info.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

Yeah, a lot of us don't. A lot of first gens are kind of thrown in, and we have to figure it out as we go. I had a similar experience with going to conferences. I went to large national conferences, so you're meeting people from all around the states- maybe even internationally. People are coming in from other countries that are in the discipline. So, you know, it's just either they're a day or multi day events, where they're professionals and researchers that go and present their work, their practices, and you get to just learn the newest scholarship available.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

And there are different formats that they present. There's the oral presentations with a PowerPoint. Then there's the poster presentation sessions, where people have their research laid out a lot more visually in a poster, and there's several of them throughout a hall or a big conference room. And each person is there with their own research, open and willing to talk with people who are just walking around, learning about research. So it's a lot more approachable in poster presentations. Usually, those are easiest to get accepted to as well. Then there's the keynote speakers as well, that you don't want to miss, because usually they're very motivating and empowering. There's also the roundtables...

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

That's what I was gonna say. I'm trying to think- there'll be other options, round tables. There's something else that I'm blanking out on right now.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

Every discipline is different.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Yeah.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

And every conference is different as well. But those are a few different ways that people present their work, through reading highlights of their paper in round tables. They're organized by topics, and all these different topics and presentations happen simultaneously. So then, something that's very advisable is before you go to a conference, really make sure- who will be there, what will be presented on what day and what time, and make your schedule.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

That's a good one.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

You will hit what you're there for.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Yeah.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

So you need to know, organize your schedule according to what you are wanting to gain from the conference. It's really identifying the people, the topics- like I said- and the keynote speakers as well. Like I said, don't miss that. And just have that scheduled well in advance. So when you're there, you just know where to go. It's very chaotic. There's people all over. There's things going on simultaneously. It's very noisy. Just to make it less stressful and a lot easier to navigate is going prepared with that schedule. Wearing comfortable shoes, because you're going to be walking around for hours all day, more than anything.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

Most conferences may be three days, from what I've experienced- the bigger national conferences. But there are others that are maybe two days or one day. But it's important to take comfortable shoes, maybe have business cards as well. As a graduate student, I took my business cards, handed them out. People handed theirs to me as well. You look professional, and that's the way to stay connected as well with people.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

Those are some tips that I would give about conferencing. You know, writing everything down as well, because you could be there sucking in a lot of things. But then once you go back home, you forget most of it. If you write as much down, I felt that was very helpful for me in order to review. After the conference as well, going back and discussing what I learned with my colleagues or classmates or anybody. Just so I could kind of see how what I learned applied to what I'm doing, what's the local context. If I'm a grad student, in my courses I can discuss those. Or if I'm going on behalf of my employer, same situation, bringing back ideas.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

I was gonna say- just to expand on that- one thing that I didn't realize right away when going to conferences is one- that you create your own schedule. Early on, I would try to go to everything, and then I'd be completely drained. Or- I'm finding this happening with our students now, because some of them are attending virtual conferences. They think, I'm attending this virtual conference to present. So they think they only need to be there for their presentation time, and that they don't have to attend everything else. I'm like, no. The whole point of the conference is not just presenting, but networking. So they're missing the whole second part of the conference.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

That wasn't really a given for me when I attended my first couple of conferences. I didn't realize, wait, I'm not just there to present and then I'm done. I should actually go out and meet people, and have coffee with them, and talk to, come up to them after their presentation. Again, it wasn't right away, I didn't get the message. It wasn't until I was more experienced, more advanced in graduate school, that all of a sudden, I'm emailing people in advance before the conference to be like, let's meet up. Let's do this, let's do that.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

Right.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

But if I had known earlier on, then I think I would have tried to kind of better organize myself and then have a better experience- not be completely drained from trying to do everything, and not just show up for a presentation and miss out on a lot of opportunities.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

Yeah, because they're very exciting. Like I said, there's a lot going on. You're in a different city in a different location. You want to go out and explore. You don't want to be indoors all day. It's a good idea to have a good balance. I think also- like I said- with your schedule, know when you can take one or two hours away from the conference and go recharge in your room. Many times, where you will be staying in hotels are nearby the conferences. Take that time to recharge and come back fully energized, so you can go and present yourself, introduce yourself to people. Ask questions in conferences. Be very interactive.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

But it is draining. After conferences, what I'd like to do was gone and explore the city. I would just look at what was nearby and take off. Then come back and sleep well, so the next day I'm fresh and ready to go again. Because it's really easy to let the day go by without really taking full advantage, as we could have if we knew what different presentations we should attend. Just to somehow create a more holistic approach to the conference, and how it relates to our work- different ideas, meeting different people, other graduate students. Now that we're talking about meeting other people, I think it's a good segue to talk about networking.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Yes, you read my mind.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Right.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Can you say more about that? The importance, how to network, what are the benefits.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

You know, as first gen students, we are unfortunately very disadvantaged in the sense that we don't come in with certain networks. We don't come in with certain information that we need to know to navigate higher education and grad school specifically. So we need to do a lot of networking. Networking, in general, is part of reaching your academic and career goals. It is what will get you to your end goal, so it's vital to do it. And I'm an introvert. I'm not someone that is naturally open to going out to different people, going up to different people.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Same.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

It took a lot of effort and a lot of stress and many failed attempts, as well. I could be very awkward at times.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Me too. But you know what? It's okay. I think that we need to remind people that it's okay to have awkward moments, and to put yourself out there. Some will be great, and some won't. You're still better off for doing it.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

And I think the more you do it, the easier it becomes. So it's just constantly putting yourself out there and making yourself visible to others. Not only can you learn about opportunities- you can find a new mentor. But you can also give back, right? It's going in with the mentality of not just going in with your own agenda, but how can I support that person as well. It's genuinely being interested in what the person is saying, and thinking of ways- who you can connect them to. Maybe ways that you could collab with whatever they're working on.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

But it is scary. It is scary for me, at least personally. Like I said, I'm an introvert and going into, for example, the conferences, and seeing people that looked very professional. They seemed they had it all together by the way they dress, by the way they spoke. But that's not necessarily the case, I've learned over the years. That's not necessarily the case. However, they've just had more practice doing it, right? Going to conferences and networking.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

But you're right when you were speaking about the transition to the remote platforms that we have to navigate now. I think personally, that opened up a world of opportunities to network for me, because now- one, people were just willing to talk to me and see how they could help when I reached out to them. It was just easier to hop on a video call then go to a physical location.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Yes. Now we're here on Zoom, instead of meeting up in person.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

Right, that would have happened in person. It's just, it became a lot more accessible for people to connect. There's a lot of webinars. And in webinars, I think people who will turn off their cameras are not helping themselves to just really gain the most out of that experience. I really encourage people to turn on their cameras, to be interacting. Comments, ask questions, make themselves be visible, so people remember them. Then after the webinar, many presenters offer their support. They say, I'm more than happy to help anybody. This is my email. This is my contact information.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

Take that offer up and reach out to them almost immediately after the webinar and connect with them. Say, I was part of this webinar. I really enjoyed this. I could relate with you on this- whatever it may be that you find a common ground with the. Follow up and and say thank you for offering to support. That's holding them a little bit more accountable. See where that goes. See where that takes you. There's small little practices that can open up many opportunities for you. And it's the interesting thing that it's usually complete strangers that offer more opportunities than people that you may already know.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

So don't be afraid to just reach out- webinars, LinkedIn, social media. There's certain graduate school informative pages or accounts that you could also connect with people there. Like I said, I'm a very timid person, and I worked on being more open and comfortable speaking with professionals in their field, experts in their fields. You know, me myself now seen as someone that can contribute as much as they can, because we obviously earned that through schooling and through putting in the work. So it's kind of making sure you see yourself as someone that is just as valuable network to someone else as they are to you. I think going in with that mindset was really helpful for me in being open to communicate with others.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

Yeah, but networking, like I said, it's what- we can't make it alone. We need other people and nobody makes it alone. No one does. It's always a matter of knocking on doors, and being yourself. Making sure that you make time for that networking. Yu can insert, you can add it to your schedule, your own calendar and say, this is the time I'm going to spend trying to either connect with new people or reconnect with older networks, because we don't know what opportunities that they may know of now, right? If we reconnect with them, they will think of us. They will keep us in their mind to connect us to the opportunity or mentorship- I don't know what it may be.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

I like that you said that we can't make it alone, because I think it's a good reminder, especially for students who do struggle, especially for those that- like us- may feel a little more introverted. Another thing- just add to this- is what I tell students when they're struggling, and I tell this to myself as well. If you don't like the term networking, if it feels too capitalistic or too transactional, or too like - oh, I'm just gonna be bothering someone. It's going back to what you said about it being kind of reciprocal, and even thinking about it as a form of community building.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

I can't do this alone, but also, everybody else is trying to lift as they climb too. So thinking about it as you're part of this larger community. You're adding yourself to that community. Then thinking about- I'm gonna also give back as I as I learn. For me, when I reframe it as community building, that helps me. That helps me think, I'm not just gonna go and contact Ana, and be like, hey, can you come to be my podcast? I'm not like taking advantage. It's a mutual, reciprocal thing, because I think this is a productive kind of helpful, useful thing that we're doing to help each other. I get to showcase you, you get to share your knowledge. You know what I mean? It's not just one sided. That helps me. Otherwise, I would have never reached out to you. I would have been like, why would she want to talk to me?

Dra. Ana Guerrero

No, I completely agree and I love that. I love that, because many of these terms do have some sort of connotation that many times is a little bit off putting, like you were saying. So thinking about it like community building, like just generally meeting someone new and really not thinking of it as something- an extremely professional thing to do. But something very just personal. Introduce yourself to someone. See where the conversation goes. Finding that mutual- just something that you can both relate to. Talk about what you're doing, and what your goals are, and then they will too. Like you said, it takes off that pressure to go into a conference, and think- oh, my goodness. I have to network, and I have to talk to this and this person. But really think about it as just conversation.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Taking the pressure off, that's great.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

Yeah.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

I have two more questions for you, but you're already answering the second to last question, which is about offering advice to first gen students who are struggling themselves, struggling with putting themselves out there. Maybe they feel very shy, or introverted, or they're intimidated. Or they've had a bad experience and they're discouraged. What else can we tell those students to kind of encourage and motivate them to put themselves out there and hopefully develop some good connections?

Dra. Ana Guerrero

Yeah, like I was saying, I am a shy, timid person actually. Like I said earlier, it's a matter of practice and not holding yourself to really high standards. Just saying, You know what? I'm gonna show up. My goal is to show up and meet people. That's it. It doesn't have to be like, oh, I need to create this network and contacts, or else I'm missing out of good opportunities. No. It's just genuinely- you know, if there is someone you admire, know where they will be, know what time. And go up to them after - I'm referring to conferences, or it could be webinars. It could even be on LinkedIn. It could be anywhere, really. Anything is really a networking opportunity, or a community building opportunity.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

It's really just not putting that pressure, like you were saying. Just go up and introduce yourself without that pressure, and see where it goes. But it's practice, like I keep saying. It is important to step outside your comfort zone, and to get yourself out there. But with time, it will get easier. With time, you won't feel as awkward as I did, or seeing them at a different level than I am. It somehow then became a lot more natural to me, it came more natural. Now I'm okay. I'm very comfortable going up to people and introducing myself, and asking them questions where I'm genuinely interested. One advice would be genuinely be interested in what they're saying.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

True.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

And ask questions.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

That's right.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

Not ask your questions, and then be blank, because you're thinking of your next question and not fully hearing them. But be fully present.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Oh my gosh, that's a tough one. When you're nervous, it's hard to listen. But listening is key. That's true.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

Being fully present and listening to what they're saying. Go from there. And somehow inserting that one main question you had, that was your goal of information. But make it not about you. Make it about them as well. That's one tip. What was the other part of your question?

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Just if they're struggling to put themselves out there, because they're either shy, or introverted, or intimidated, or they had a bad experience that left them discouraged.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

Right. So the buddy system helps. Find someone to be there with you and go up to someone. Or talk to someone- your friend- about your goals and see if maybe they have interest in talking to this person as well. So introduce yourself as a team. It just kind of makes the- what is it- the stage fright a lot more manageable if you're there with someone instead of by yourself.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

I used to do that. I remember, I would get together with a friend- usually the two of us were introverted. We're like, hey, you want to talk to Professor so and so? It's like this big name scholar in the field. It was like- okay, let's go together. Somehow, knowing you're there with a friend gives you that sense of security and comfort.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

Exactly.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Like, it's gonna be okay, because my friend is there.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

Exactly, exactly. That's really helpful for those of us that are a lot more shy and timid. Another one is to do it through online. It doesn't have to be in person. You could do it online before an event, and just introduce yourself. Oh, I'm really excited, look forward to meeting you. Then when you do go and introduce yourself in person, they already are almost- not expecting it, but in a way, expecting someone to come up to them, and remember your emails. They're a lot more open and not so like, so who are you and what's your question? They're already kind of prepared for that, and they're a lot more open to you when you do approach them.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

I feel like it's so different too from when I was in undergrad and grad school, because now you have technology and you have social media that you can use as a benefit, whether it's a Zoom meeting in advance, like you said, or following them on Twitter, or whatever social media account you use. That person who you're trying to connect with may have a public profile.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

Right.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

It's kind of nice to try to stay on top of what they're up to, or connected in a different way.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

Right. And for those who have had bad experiences trying to build community- maybe that person somehow shut them down, or was just not open to connecting with them. Or maybe you never heard back. I think it's important to remember that it's not you. This person is most likely going through a lot. They're juggling a lot. They're very, very busy and maybe responding to multiple responsibilities. So if they don't respond, feel free to send them a follow up email. Give them some time, maybe a week. But definitely, I think, reaching out, because your email may have been buried under I don't know how many others. It's always good to not leave things there. Make sure you follow up.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

And remembering- like I said- if this person was maybe not as engaging with you or not engaging as much in person, I think- again- it's always important to know that they're not professionals at building community as well. They're people, and may be awkward themselves and maybe feel self conscious themselves. So it's always thinking about the other person's perspective, and thinking- they may be exhausted and worn out, and they just don't have that energy att that point in time to make you feel welcomed, or wanting to connect with you. I mean, not wanting to connect with you, but just feeling a little bit like shut you down in whatever sense that may be.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

Just remembering that they are people. Try again. Try again, maybe in the morning the next day, or just follow up through through email. It may be a different experience. But definitely don't ever think that bad networking, community building experiences are a reflection of you. There's just many, many factors taken into account when there are bad experiences. And not everybody's different. If one door does not open, there are plenty of others to knock on. So keep that in mind, that there's tons of people more than happy to support and help other students. But yeah, just don't take things personall. I think that's my biggest takeaway when it comes to that.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Yeah, I was gonna say I got that - the one don't take it personally. But also, something that - I feel like the way that you're approaching it, too, is a compassionate approach towards someone maybe not being able to connect with you. Instead of saying, oh, maybe I don't want to talk to that person, because maybe they're just- I don't know- they're not the right person for me. You're actually saying, actually, maybe they are busy. Maybe they're exhausted. Maybe they're depleted. Maybe their inbox is full. Maybe they're overextended.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Just thinking about it from that compassionate side and not taking it personally, that's great. I feel like that's a really useful strategy to use, because sometimes that is true- even for us, even you as an individual. Someone might reach out to you on the other end. Maybe you're trying to get a mentor for grad school or for your early career, and then there are high schoolers reaching out to you and maybe you are overextended. It works both ways. So that compassionate approach of always thinking about, you never know what's going on on the other end of things. The pandemic taught us that. Folks have had all kinds of emergencies, and just not so great things happen, that you never know what someone's going through. I would say just keep that in mind. And if it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. Like you said, there's more fish in the sea.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

Exactly. And one more thing I was going to add is preparation is key. If you are someone that is a little bit intimidated with a person or just shy overall, preparing is gonna help you tremendously. So have your three minute pitch- who you are, what you do, what your goals are. Have that very strong, so you don't- somehow your mind goes blank when you're in front of them. Just make sure you you practice it. You rehearse that. It could be in the mirror. It could be with someone else. You can record yourself practicing as well, and make sure you hit those key points that are important to you. And like I said, present yourself. Look sharp, so it makes you feel more comfident too. The way we do dress affects the way we carry ourselves. That would help as well.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

I love that. So we're getting ready to wrap up. My last question for you is- I would love for you to just share a little bit more about your IG account, first gen resilience. And also, what's the best way for others to reach you aside from that? So what is first gen resilience, and then also - for folks who really resonated with what you said today- how can they best reach you?

Dra. Ana Guerrero

Yes. All right. This idea came to mind when I graduated with my PhD in the summer. I was looking at the stats-

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Can I just say, felicidades.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

Thank you.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

I need that reaction, all the reactions.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

Gracias. Yeah, it was tough. It was during the pandemic, so there was no ceremony. I didn't have a graduation party. So thank you for that clap. I appreciate that. Like I was sharing with you, a lot of my decisions were made with the information that was made available to me. There was no path laid out for me. I went as I was receiving information. That's why I'm such a big advocate of people having access to information and guidance, because graduate school is not for everyone, right? So PhD program- I get a PhD. It's not for everyone. However, I don't want people to not take up that opportunity because of lack of information. Rather, to make an informed decision with the information.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

I feel like I could have said the exact same thing. I love that you're saying that. It really isn't for everyone. And I'm not the type of person that wants to push higher education, because I know from direct experience how toxic it can be. So I'm like, it's not for everyone. But if you do want to do it, if you do need that as a stepping stone to the next thing

Dra. Ana Guerrero

Exactly.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

You should be able to access that information. Yes, keep going.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

Exactly, it should be available to you. That's where first gen resilience came from. Now that I have a lived experience, researched the topic, and from my own practice helping other undergraduates apply to graduate school, is where this idea came from, where I would love to be a resource to others to provide information on- what is graduate school? How do you pay for it? What are the skills that you need? What does it look like? So basically, I do offer coaching for first gen students, undergraduate students, and also for graduate students just navigating graduate school. And I offer bilingual coaching sessions to undergraduate, so I would work with their families.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

That's amazing.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

Yeah, it is not supposed to be an isolating journey. That was huge for me, because for me, my journey was very isolating. And I wish my family had more understanding of what I was going through. So that's why I work with the families and provide information as well in Spanish. Then I help others who are now preparing to go to graduate school as well. You know, just choosing a program, the Statement of Purpose, funding. I did graduate debt free. That's, I think, another thing to celebrate.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

That's another huge one, woo! That's amazing.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

Yeah, so Bachelor's, Master's, PhD- no debt, because I hustled. I know what it is like to be concerned about your finances, and how you're going to pay. So I try to offer that support to others. I also sell merch. Inspired by the first gen experience, I sell shirts, tanks, T shirts and mugs with phrases that helped me keep showing up day after day.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

I love that, yes.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

I share it with others.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

What kind of phrases? Let us know.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

For example, one is I show up for myself, my family and my community- because as we were saying, these spaces are very not inclusive, right? Many times, we feel like we're not fully belonging there and we're not as valued as well. However, we have a lot of inner drive that makes us keep showing up day after day after day, right? No matter what our obstacles are. So that's one- I show up. You can have it in a mug or a shirt. And another one- it's in Spanish- it's puedo con eso y mas. I can do that and more. That's another phrase.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

Another one is, it just says first gen resilience. Reminding yourself that you are resilient, and you will get through this one way or another- through networking, and going to conferences, learning more, getting the tools you need to reach your goals. So that's that. I have an Instagram account, which is first gen underscore resilience. Then there is the link to my website, where people can learn more about my coaching services and my online store, la Tiendita. Look through the merch I have there. I think they're really cute.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

You can contact me through there as well. If you have any questions, I'm more than happy to answer and talk with anybody that would like that support. Like I was saying, if anybody offers support, take up on it. Take up on it. You just don't know the direction it could take you in life, just by being very proactive.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

When I make the flyer for this podcast episode, I'm gonna make sure to tag you, so that folks can find your little tiendita and support you and connect. That's really exciting. I'm gonna have to get myself my own shirt.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

Definitely, yes.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Well, I think that is all. That wraps up this week's episode. I want to thank you, Dra. Ana, for joining us. Thank you, thank you once again.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

Thank you, Yvette, for inviting me. It was a pleasure to talk with you and catch up a little bit more, and really dive into some of these topics that are very important for first gen students. I always am also an advocate for representation. So being visible to other first gen students, that we did it as women of color.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Yup.

Dra. Ana Guerrero

They can do it as well. It's just a matter of really being proactive and sticking to it. But anyway, I was really happy to be here with you and share a little bit.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Thank you.