Finding Balance: Native STEM Students Navigating “Monsters” of Mental Health

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 9:00 am Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: Empowerment and Healing in Indigenous Spaces (Table 11)

Abstract

Mental health is a growing concern in STEM, especially given its impact on persistence and belonging for marginalized students. Using Tachine’s (2022) framework of “Indigenous weapons” to battle “systemic monsters,” we draw data from a longitudinal, mixed-methods study on the educational experience of Native scientists to explore how they navigate mental health monsters to find balance in their lives to persist in STEM. We find that Native higher education students often encounter systemic, inter-generational issues that negatively impact their educational journeys. However, these students fight back monstrous internalization through self-care and returning to Native cultural practices. Based on our findings, we recommend creating culturally sustaining opportunities that support positive mental health outcomes for Native people in STEM.

Authors

• Lisette Esmeralda Torres-Gerald, TERC

• Christina Silva, TERC

• Nuria Jaumot-Pascual, TERC

• Tiffany D. Smith, AISES

• Maria Ong, TERC