She Walked Away from Her Dream Job, Now Needs to Explain Why

After years of working toward a career as a tenure track professor, Sylvia left this path in academia under duress. And getting her Peruvian parents to understand her decision also proved challenging. And Dr. Michelle Espino Lira, who studies Latinos in higher education, speaks with Juleyka about connecting our bold acts of self-advocacy with the grit and resolve our parents modeled for us.

Featured Expert: 

Dr. Michelle M. Espino Lira is an assistant professor of higher education, student affairs, and international education policy at the University of Maryland, College Park. Dr. Espino Lira investigates the individual, organizational, and community factors that affect educational attainment and career pathways for racial/ethnic minorities. For the past few years, her work has focused on Latina/o/x student and faculty experiences. Her research engages in the following lines of inquiry: (1) advancing critical theoretical and methodological approaches that enable scholars to conduct meaningful and rigorous educational research; (2) analyzing the interplay between educational institutions and racial/ethnic factors, exposing the social inequities that undermine individual motivations to study and work in colleges and universities; and (3) offering critical perspectives that counter traditional deficit-centered representations of racial/ethnic minorities and promote assets-based strategies. In 2019 Dr. Espino Lira launched “Latinx Intelligentsia” a podcast dedicated to uplifting Latinx/a/o students, scholars, practitioners, families, and communities as they journey to and through higher education. Learn more about her work and research here.

If you loved this episode, listen to Taking a Break from Grad School, Then Telling Her Parents and Is Tenure the End or the Beginning (from our sibling podcast, How to Talk to [High Achievers] about Anything.

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