Erin-Kate Escobar “Changing the World One ‘Mentoring Pod’ and Human Connection at a Time”

In this episode, Erin-Kate Escobar (she/her/they/them) shines light on countless practices of personal and professional resources and strategies for changing the world one human connection at a time Erin-Kate highlights a program she coordinates for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) students that uses “mentoring pods”. She discusses the foundational readings and bodies of work that inform her approach today. Erin-Kate has tremendous guidance regarding finding community in this work and shares tips and tools for practicing internal self-work as well. We conclude the interview by addressing the prevalence of experiences of personal trauma in professional roles as social justice educators.

A note about sensitive content: We talk about experiences of sexual harassment in organizational settings, so I include a note to listeners to provide agency in tuning into this part of the interview or opting out.

About Erin-Kate:
Erin-Kate Escobar (she/her/they/them) holds a master’s degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs from the University of Vermont. They provide leadership, outreach, policy, and programming support for campus-wide diversity initiatives. Her primary responsibilities at California Institute of Technology include the Women's Engagement Board, Women Mentoring Women, LGBTQ+ support, safe zone training, and facilitating workshops and training on topics of diversity, inclusion and unconscious bias.