Latest / Black Box Theory Podcast / Beating Imposter Syndrome When Nobody Looks Like You
Transcript
- Jayson: Yeah, so I was doing research at Howard apart like with one of my professors and she was really big on taking us to conferences to present our research. And so I remember going to New Orleans, at like the ASME I'm I conferences. So that's like a just conference where a lot of people in engineering get together. I probably know. Malcolm: Yeah. Jayson: and it was a competition so I was like okay it's like I get to see what other schools are doing. I thought it was Malcolm: Mm-hmm. Jayson: really cool 'cause I just got more exposure to what other people were up to but then it was kinda like scary 'cause there were like no H C C representation. Malcolm: Yeah. Jayson: the research was all like well yeah, it's just from other schools and things like that. And so that's when I felt like a little bit of both imposter syndrome, but also it was a moment of time for me. I felt like I could prove myself and see how I was Malcolm: Mm-hmm. Jayson: doing compared to a lot of other people. And so Going to New Orleans was also a crazy thing 'cause like I've never really traveled anywhere beyond like Philly, like New York or you know, maybe Virginia. And so, Malcolm: Yeah. Jayson: going to New Orleans was a really cool thing. I got there and I was feeling a lot of imposter syndrome then. But like throughout the weekend, things like that, did the poster competition, actually won third place, which is really cool, and it was just amazing to me 'cause on the there there again, there was like very little H C C representation. There's probably Malcolm: Mm-hmm. Jayson: like sixty other students there and it was just a really good feeling, and that's when I was like Okay, and I feel like this is something I could do as well. That was a big moment for me. 'cause it was like the beginning of my sophomore year. So, yeah, I was really starting to dive a lot deeper into research, getting into more of those classes specific to my major as well. So it was a lot less like basic, like chemistry and physics. It was like, Okay, this is mechanical engineering now. And so that's something that really like hit for me. Just going out there and like just competing. Malcolm: Yeah. No no. I I I get yeah, no, that's like I feel like you you hit on it now. I feel like that kinda like that synergy you have between like all right, like this is kinda it is kinda scary 'cause there's not nobody else here that look like me and it's also like I Jayson: Mm. Yeah. Malcolm: feel like I mean I feel like it kinda it's like both things like it's a little scary not seeing people like that look like you in the same place, but I feel like it also kinda at the same time puts like a chip on your shoulder a bit 'cause it's like all right, if I'm the only person here it's probably for a reason and I gotta like show out for, you know, anyone else that does come after me that looks like me. but yeah. Jayson: Yeah. Yeah. But yeah, nah I definitely agree. That's something I feel like is always in the back of my mind, especially coming from an HP C U. Like there's definitely competition at H B C Us. I feel like I'm always there Malcolm: Yeah. for sure. Jayson: tryna you know, just put myself out there, see how I kinda It's like standing out against like my peers and things like that. It's always like a friendly competition. it's Malcolm: Yeah. Jayson: so so it's something I'm used to. And then when I'm in spaces where there's not a lot of people that look like me, it's just kind of even more of a motivation. But I feel like I'm ready because I'm already around so much talent in the first place. So it's just great to keep pushing and doing stuff like that. Thomas: That's facts.