"THE IMPOSTOR SYNDROME" WORKSHOP
- Do you secretly worry that others will find out you're not as intelligent and competent as they seem to think you are?
- Do you often dismiss your accomplishments as a "fluke" or "no big deal"?
- Do you think, "If I can do it, anyone can"?
- Do you sometimes shy away from taking on even greater challenges because of nagging self-doubt?
- Are you crushed by even constructive criticism, taking it as evidence of your ineptness?
If so, join the club! Millions of people around the world from executives to A-list celebrities secretly believe they are not as intelligent and competent as others think they are. These feelings are especially rampant on college campuses and all the more so among graduate students, post-docs, and faculty.
- In this session, you will learn to identify our Impostor Thoughts.
- Learn about Impostor Syndrome and previous research done on the topic.
- Discuss why smart people feel like impostors, how it benefits us, and how it harms us.
- Learn how to overcome impostor syndrome.
- Share some exercises on how to combat impostor syndrome and stereotype threat;
- Identify support resources at Caltech and how to make the most of your time on campus.
Lunch will be provided. Please RSVP online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ImpostorSyndrome by Oct. 15th.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Jessica Kirkpatrick received her PhD in Astrophysics from Berkeley in 2012. During her time at Berkeley, she ran the Society for Women in the Physical Sciences. After an exhaustive job search within academia and beyond, she decided to transition to the tech industry and is now the Director of Data Science for the education start-up InstaEDU. Instead of spending her days finding patterns in the large scale structure of galaxies, she now finds patterns in the behaviors of people. She is also the blogger-in-chief for Women-in-Astronomy and contributes to several other blogs including Women 2.0, Astrobetter, and Lady Paragons. She is a member of the American Astronomical Society's Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy. Jessica will be talking about her personal struggle with Impostor Syndrome and how she overcame self-doubt during her PhD at Berkeley.