Interview: Mena Martinez, Digital Content Creator & Corporate Responsibility Professional

By Angela Tai

Statistically speaking, only around 3% of STEM workers are of Latina. The Obama administration famously pushed a STEM agenda to attract the Latinx population to the field. What do you think will be key to attract and retain Latina students to STEM careers? 

I’m glad you brought up this point. Oftentimes, that’s left out of the conversation. I want to be sure to not just attract Latinx students, but also support them. It’s like, “Let’s not give [people] the proper pay and/or infrastructure to report harassment.” In addition to more robust support, in order to solve this issue, we can by looking at rural communities — as a 1st generation Latina — there was no introduction to these things. I’m an hour away from Silicon Valley; I was a population among a population of students who could have benefitted from [STEM] program[s]. Oftentimes, these programs are leaving out these rural communities that have slightly different needs, yet they are so full of potential. They could really strengthen that pipeline in addition to offering more support once students are already in their majors and once they’re also already in their careers. 

How did you personally gain an interest in STEM fields?

I was already in college and was doing my first internship at Adobe; I learned about that opportunity through a personal connection I made. I volunteered to be a part of the Girls Who Code program and was a mentor to one of the youths who was going through the program. At the time, I was interested in the projects they were working on and it was really through that experience that I wanted to gain more of a technical skill set so I decided to pursue my Masters in Information Systems from the University of San Francisco. I knew what engineering and programming was at a high level but I never considered it to be something that I could pursue. That program really helped to introduce me to that field. 

There’s still a largely untapped pool of Latinx talent in STEM. How have you had to adapt to perhaps being one of the few Latinas in the room? 

That’s a difficult thing because in different spaces in my life, I’ve been the only one in a variety of different categories which is always challenging. Being myself is always helpful and also reminding people that I don’t speak for everyone in my community. It’s important for me to call people out, for example, “you’re Latina so let’s bring you into the room.” That’s when I was like, hold on, let’s evaluate this. Do you want my expertise or do you just want to check off your box? So, being myself and showing up fully as myself has been helpful for me personally. 

Silicon Valley is still quite a Caucasian male dominated environment. Have you ever felt that you don’t belong due to other people’s actions?

Yes, when I was first trying to inquire more about the field to get my foot in the door, I didn’t have a network in the industry. I started interviewing for different internships at different big companies. It was interesting to see who was conducting the interviews and how they were asking the questions; I didn’t come from an ivy league background and some of the interviewers did make me feel a little out of place. I know many other women in the online STEM community have also been vocal about this so I think it’s important to address it. I didn’t speak up about this because of the privilege factor - I needed the job but it’s important to speak up about it now. 

I’m a huge fan of your Latinapowerpuff merchandise, especially the “Hella Latina” hat and Latina Power t-shirt. What do you hope to impart to other young female minorities in STEM who may be feeling out of place? 

I think my overall mission is to make them feel less alone and more supported. I struggled with this throughout college and I didn’t know who to connect with, there was not a place where I could be fully myself. I would want women or people from underrepresented backgrounds to feel more of a sense of belonging. It’s important to talk about this and how we feel. It’s also important to talk about so we can move forward together; I want to impart a sense of belonging and community. 

I was reading through your blog posts which are incredible. Black Lives Matter has been a really powerful and transformative experience for all of us. I know that you put together some resources for learning more about racism and privilege. What are some books that you’ve read recently to educate yourself about understanding and dismantling racism? 

There are so many books and I’m glad that there’s such a push for supporting creators from different backgrounds. White male authors were typically on the syllabus when I was in school, it’s important to diversify our bookshelves. My next one on the docket is Ebony & Ivy which contextualizes Black peoples’ experiences in academia and the historical foundation and how it was also not set up for Black people. I want to do more research in that area for my PhD so I’m trying to absorb as much information as I can in that category in particular. 

What are some of the things you wish you’d known prior to kicking off your STEM career?

I wish I knew that I would’ve feel more confident and comfortable one day which could’ve sped up the process. I don’t blame others for not feeling as confident either because it takes courage and it’s a lot of risk for people. You could come across as being aggressive, whiny, bitchy, etc. In the Latina culture, we’re always taught to be grateful and humble but sometimes it doesn’t translate super well in a corporate setting when you’re trying to stand up for yourself. I would just tell myself, “you’ll get there.” 

Your work is very much about corporate responsibility in Tech. What are you ideally looking to achieve after you get your PhD?

In general, I want to work in a consulting space in order to be able to bridge the gap between the corporate world, non-profit, and academia. These [STEM] initiatives can be equitably applied. A lot of these programs don’t reach agricultural or rural communities and I would love to make sure these programs are more equitable in a consulting space. I would like to maybe even teach eventually and write a book!

Congratulations on your (grad school) graduation! You’re currently pursuing your PhD in Education at Claremont Graduate University. What are you most excited about with the start of the new academic year? 

I’m excited, I love learning so I’m excited to continue that aspect. I’m a bit worried about colleagues and classmates; I think it’s important for universities to not just make assumptions, especially at the grad school or doctoral level. Textbook and internet charges have always been concerns for students but I’m brainstorming ways we can make sure that we all have the access we need to succeed in our programs. 

Throughout your career, have you ever felt like you’ve failed at something and looking back, do you have a different feeling about it? 

In general, I feel like I failed at Corporate America but I came to forgive myself because I realized it was the environment that didn’t work for me. I thought there was something wrong with me. Oftentimes, it was the lack of flexibility or remote work even though that’s not the case now. I’m sensitive to certain kinds of office lighting so I felt like the lack of flexibility and understanding was what ultimately led me away from being in an in-office corporate setting and just branching out and doing my own thing instead. So I failed at that but I tried to fail into something better for myself. 

You’re very open on your Instagram (which we love) and documented everything from your background, work, and advocacy for Latinas in STEM. What did you expect when you first made your Instagram account and how do you plan to grow it from here? 

I will say prior to maybe a year ago or so, my Instagram was just for fun/personal use. It wasn’t until the point when I started to use it more intentionally that I saw more growth and saw other communities that I could tap into. I wanted to be a connector. I’m more of an IT/Digital marketing person but if I could give anyone some advice or connect them to someone useful - that would be my ultimate goal. 

Do you feel hopeful about the future? 

I do feel hopeful. It definitely won’t get any easier anytime soon; inequality may likely become worse (given the effects of the pandemic) and will impact both the academic and the corporate world in different ways. But I feel a duty to do my part and talk about what I learn along the way. 

What empowers you about being a Latina in STEM and what would you tell others who fear that their heritage might be holding them back from succeeding in the STEM fields?

What empowers me is feeling this need to open doors for other people who might come after me and showing people there’s not one way of being Latina or Latina in STEM. I’ve connected with so many amazing women who have inspired me and I’m hoping to do the same with them. Our diverse voices are important in the tech field and academia so I would encourage people to go from there. You might not always feel great about it or you might say, “I could’ve stood up for myself better” but it is a learning process to do that. I would just say to start with baby steps and if anyone wants to reach out to me, I’m always open to that as well. 

During your formative years, did you have a mentor that served as a catalyst for changing your career path or interests? 

I didn’t have anybody from STEM in my formative years; my parents loved learning but had no formal educational experience, they emphasized reading and watching documentaries. The love of learning and promoting that stayed with me; this is what motivated me to pursue higher education to this extent. Even with different characters I’ve read about in books, they really inspired my overall outlook and my want to pursue higher education.