Elevating Diversity and Inclusion in Geosciences: Empowering Hispanic/Latinx Voices Through Personal Narratives

It has been demonstrated that all sciences benefit from and improve with diversity. However, despite multiple initiatives, minorities are still severely underrepresented in STEM fields with geosciences being one of the least diverse. This is concerning given the increasing challenges in the Earth system sciences. Therefore, it's important to establish an environment that allows students and scientists from underrepresented minorities to succeed. The project, “Elevating and empowering Hispanic/Latinx voices through video: Reducing barriers in academia and building an ecosystem for success in the Earth System sciences,” aims to contribute to a more diverse and equitable Earth System Sciences community by giving Hispanic and Latino students in geosciences the opportunity to share their experiences and challenges with video. The main goal of these co-created mini documentaries is to highlight the importance of family support, increase the sense of inclusion and belonging in the Earth system sciences community, and encourage conversations between individuals from the Hispanic and Latino communities and leaders in the academic community.

The video presented in this talk will explore the reasons and experiences that led a student from Puerto Rico to pursue studies in atmospheric sciences in the USA. Through conversations with family members, it will address some of the challenges they faced, including the lack of knowledge about careers in atmospheric sciences, financial assistance, and the application process for graduate school. Additionally, it will discuss the impact of the lack of representation and the importance of support systems for a greater sense of inclusion and belonging. The video will also touch on how university systems can provide greater support.