Leaving Las Academia Pt.1- From the R1 Psych Dept to the Social Justice LLC

The past two years have been marked by among many social factors, the “great resignation.”  This phenomenon has extended to academia and it is a surprise because many refer to it as “the best job in the world.” An occupation that allowed individuals to pursue their own interests, and provided significant autonomy, and for those in tenure track, the possibility of a very stable, protected employment virtually unavailable in any other industry or setting. However, the great resignation has arrived to academia as well.  In the next 2-3 episodes we are attempting to do a brief series that captures various voices of individuals leaving academia for other pursuits. Given our expertise, our guests are psychologists. We are aware that this may seem to narrow the topic significantly. However, we hope that the diverse background of our guests and the fact that they are psychologists, may help provide a special insight into their own motivations and a unique view into the great resignation as they explain why they decided to leave “the best job in the world.”

Our first guest in our “Leaving las Academia” series is Dr. Nelson Zounlome who actually posted his resignation from a counseling psychology position at the University of Kentucky on twitter, and that is how we first contacted him.  As you will hear, Dr. Zounlome is a first-generation college student, child of immigrants, and native of South Bend, IN. He earned Bachelor's degrees in Psychology & Sociology, and a Master's degree in Learning Science-Educational Psychology Track, and a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Indiana University. He is a former McNair Scholar, Ford Foundation Fellow, Herman B. Wells Graduate Fellow, and until recently an assistant professor in the counseling psychology department at the university of Kentucky. He published the book “Letters to My Sisters & Brothers: Practical Advice to Successfully Navigate Academia as a Student of Color” and he has channeled his passion for studying “academic persistence and mental wellness to promote holistic healing among Black, Indigenous, and People of Color” in his new enterprise, Liberate the Block or LTB as he calls it to in his words “help BIPOC communities liberate themselves and achieve their wildest dreams.”

We hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we did recording it.