“I think it’s just like a part of my culture. Like, we’re very story-driven. Stories are how we express ourselves so I just grew up with so many stories and so now I just I feel like I’m wanting to tell a story because I feel like stories are what get people’s attention, gets them enthused.”

Kaydee Barker (KB): Hi, everyone, thanks for tuning in to the Livable Future Podcast. I’m Kaydee Barker, co-creator, and I’m here with Wyatt Reynolds, our new team member, and Cristal Dominguez Vasquez, a recent graduate from Colorado State University’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Biology Program and also a lab member of Dr. Gillian Bowser’s Lab, who you might remember from episodes one and two. In this episode, Cristal shares her stories with us about finding community at CSU as a woman of color amongst a pretty monochromatic crowd, and how female mentors played a critical role of support on her journey.

Wyatt Reynolds (WR): Wow, what a powerful topic we have today. Kaydee, I just want to say thank you for having me and glad to be a part of the team. And then just to clarify for all our listeners, what is STEM and what does it stand for?

KB: Oh, thanks for asking that Wyatt. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. And recently, we’ve actually started adding an A in there for arts. So that would be STEAM instead of STEM.

WR: Wow, that’s so interesting, I had no idea. Before we get started, I would like to acknowledge that we are creating this podcast on lands that were traditional ancestral homelands of the Ute, Arapaho and Cheyenne people. We would like to honor these people and their contributions to this region.

KB: So Cristal, what’s your “scientist origin story”? How did you end up here at Colorado State studying fish and wildlife biology and conservation biology? And how did you end up in the lab with Dr. Gillian Bowser and Sarah Whipple?

Cristal Dominguez Vasquez (CDV): What started that, my love for the outdoors and just conservation in general, is because I grew up in nature, I went camping a lot. It’s just something I grew up appreciating so much. And so I really wanted to work in that area and like, dive into it any way that I could. And so conservation biology was just like the first thing that I was super interested in. The way that I got involved in the Bowser lab is COVID. Just kind of when it hit, it kind of messed up some things for me, like other job-wise choices, and so I was trying to figure out what I could do, and there was a lot of limited research going on that summer, summer 2020. And so I found out about Gillian and Sarah’s work because I’m a part of CO-WY AMP, which stands for Colorado, Wyoming Alliance for Minority Participation. So it targets students of Color in STEM, and gets them connected to STEM research. And so when I heard about Sarah and Gillian’s work, I was pretty interested, because I’ve never worked with pollinators before, this is my first experience working with pollinators. I’ve always heard about the issues surrounding the decline of pollinators, but I’ve never done research with them. And so I dove in that area. I’ve been working for them since June of 2020 up until now, and so I’m hoping to continue some research into the future, because it’s been been pretty awesome so far.

KB: That definitely seems like a pretty special lab to be a part of, so that’s cool.

CDV: Yeah, absolutely. I think one of the things I really, really appreciate about this lab is that there, they really do a lot of outreach to students of Color and working in Gillian’s lab I feel like I’ve been able to be seen, that’s like the biggest thing for me and be recognized for my efforts and my work. You know, Sarah has been such an amazing support system and is super flexible, super understanding. They both realize how hard having minority participation, like the struggles that we can go through. And I think that’s amazing, especially because, you know, Sarah is white and so she can only be, I guess, like, sympathetic but also just trying her best in ways that she can to be understanding. And so for me, I think that’s super important and I absolutely appreciate that. So I’m absolutely appreciative of the work that I’m a part of, because this is like the first experience I’ve had to be able to do research, right? Because like, everyone in this major, you know, natural resources, are supposed to gain experience and skill and stuff. And it’s hard to do that, right? Because you have to look for internships or experience and stuff like that and you had to, like, have the grades for and all that, but then to have your identity then be that roadblock is hard. So when Gillian and Sarah, they are the ones to look for those students whose identities are usually overlooked… That’s why I say it’s important, like, it’s so nice that they see me and recognize my work and asked me to do more work for them. And so I absolutely again, I feel like I say that a lot, but I’m super appreciative because it’s like, I just can’t stress enough just how important it is for me to be seen. You know, it’s easy for students of Color, especially Women of Color, to be lost in STEM, because we’re not taken seriously. I’ve been overlooked countless times in a lot of my classes. Outside of Gillian’s lab, the amount of times where I’ve been belittled and overlooked is just, it’s hard. And it mentally, emotionally drains me. And so to have this opportunity, as a Latina, to be able to be a part of this research was, is pretty big, and to have had all of the opportunities I’ve had so far, have been amazing. So I’m very, very grateful for Gillian and Sarah, for that.

KB: That’s really neat, and that reminds me, I actually wanted to ask you about your involvement with El Centro, and what your experience has been on campus.

CDV: So the way that I got involved with El Centro was, I transferred here from Community College of Denver back in 2018, and I’ve always wanted to come to CSU, I always felt like it was like my home, it was going to be my home. And so I was loving it when I first was here, I think like the first week, and then it really set in, like I felt very much out of place. You know, I come from like a very small community of all just Latinx people, you know, surrounded by other people that look like me and talk like me, spoke Spanish. I was surrounded by diversity, even when I was in community college. And so to come from such diverse background and be surrounded by diverse people to then come to an institution where I was finally the minority… it was weird, and I was panicking and I was freaking out.

Then I was really feeling the stressors of what it is to be discriminated against, because for the longest time, I couldn’t find a job. It was really, really difficult for me to apply for a job. It was really difficult for me to see how I was applying for all of these same jobs that my roommate at the time I was applying for, and she was getting them but I wasn’t, and it took her like two tries, and it took me 17 tries. So it was it was hard. And so I knew I needed to find my community. So that’s why I went towards El Centro, because they serve the Latinx population at CSU and also off-campus. I got involved by just going to the office at first and like talking to the professional staff and the director at the time, Dr. Guadalupe Salazar, she has been such an amazing mentor and friend to me, and she was able to offer me work.

So I started working for them as a student staff as like an office coordinator, transfer coordinator, and event coordinator. I wore many hats in there and did a lot of things for them. And it’s been pretty awesome, because I think that we’ve been able to provide a really good space and do a lot of amazing things with El Centro and like really let students know that they have a home away from home and that they can always count on us to feel accepted and to feel seen and to be given, you know, that space to breathe. Because I think a lot of us just feel like we can’t breathe. You know, it’s hard for us to be in a predominantly white institution, to not get a little bit bogged down by that. So that’s one of the things I loved about working for El Centro, and something that I will always appreciate.

KB: I’m really glad to hear that, that (El Centro) helped you find community and it sounds like some opportunities as well being involved there.

CDV: Absolutely, yeah. That’s actually how I got connected with CO-WY AMP, because the director, Guadalupe Salazar, she knows the coordinator for for CO-WY AMP. And so I wanted to do a lot of different like, study abroad and do some research and she was like, “Hey, you know, let me get you connected to all these resources, I have funding for you.” And so that was awesome, because to have that connection, and being able to network through El Centro, and then gain all these opportunities has been super awesome, because I feel like, you know, I didn’t have the resources to do that. And so to be able to be connected, because my director knew that I was doing all these things, but I just didn’t have the resources to do it, so she just connected me to her contacts on campus, and so that’s how I was able to be, I feel, very successful in my academic career at CSU. And so yeah, it’s been pretty awesome.

KB: Through our conversation, Cristal shared with us how amazing it was to have Dr. Bowser and Sarah as mentors and how actually, female mentors throughout college have been a big part of her journey so far.

CDV: Every single person that I have that I can count on, and that has been a huge support system here for me here at CSU, have been women. You know, save for like a couple of male professors and advisors, I have not received as much as like support than that of women. Specifically a majority being Women of Color too, from again, from the former director from El Centro, Guadalupe Salazar, the coordinator, the CO-WY AMP coordinator, Arlene Nededog, Gillian Bowser, Sarah Whipple, like so much, my academic advisor for my Community for Excellence, Patricia Vigil… all of these women have been, like, essential for me to be successful and for me to be where I am now. And, you know, I mean, not to like bash on any men, but I haven’t really received that much help from a lot of male colleagues or peers, it’s always been women, because they don’t really ask anything from me other than just wanting to help. I think it’s that they know what it’s like. And so they just want to, you know, open the door for you. And that’s amazing to me. And that’s what I hope I can do for the next women, just help them along as well. You know, reach back and just pull them up just the way that I was.

KB: That’s so good. And I’ve had the same experience, actually. So that’s so good to hear that you’ve had that experience too, and that you want to pass it on. Speaking of passing it on, it’s kind of the big senior question, I guess, but what do you want to do?

CDV: Oh, no!

KB: It’s okay, no pressure!

CDV: No pressure, but pressure. No, yeah, that’s like something that like haunts every senior am I right? So yeah, I’m… well, it’s funny, because for the longest time, like, since I was a kid, I’ve been planning out my whole life up until this point, you know. I told myself when I was like, in fifth or sixth grade, “you’re gonna go to college, you’re gonna major in fish and wildlife.” I’ve told myself, I’ve never changed my major save for like that one time when I was in community college, but I’ve been consistent, stuck to my plan of like, what I’m going to do, and now I’ve almost completed it, and it’s like, “what are you gonna do now Cristal? What’s your what’s your next step?” And so I’m partly excited to see what is in store, because I have somewhat like some plans, but they’re a little shaky. So I’m excited to see where those plans go, but the same time, I’m also excited that I don’t have to plan anything yet, because I feel like I will be okay, if that makes sense.

So, right now I have something planned that’s short term. In the summer, I’m hoping to go to Mexico for turtle conservation. I got into that back in January 2020, when I studied abroad in Mexico, Baja California Sur, specifically, and I met another woman there. Her name is Stephanie Russo and she does amazing work with turtle conservation through her business and she’s also a researcher, and she works with the small scale fisheries in La Paz and Sinaloa. And, you know, it’s really something that I became really passionate about, because I’ve always loved working with communities, specifically communities of Color. I’ve always loved that, because it just has given me so much sense of purpose, you know, coming from again, like another community of Color, that’s underserved, underrepresented. I used to work for Boys and Girls Club. And so I just love, love any type of humanitarian work. And then also conservation, I was like, sick, I’m in!

So I’m hoping to see if I can do that type of work this summer and just establish, you know, relationships with a lot of these fishermen, hear their stories, and gain an understanding of like, their work, right? Because when I went to Mexico, and I met with some of these fisheries, I never had experience with fisheries. And so meeting a small family, this elderly couple, they were just telling me about how hard it is for a fisherman to want to do any type of conservation or sustainability work, because it interferes with their life. You know, it’s a huge part of their identity. And so to try to change that, it’s like, hard for them to deal with, because it’s like, you know, again, it’s a huge part of their identity, that’s their only means of economic stability. And so it’s like, when they have these conservationists, usually a lot of white people, they’re just like, “Okay, you guys are…” they’re seen as the enemy, or like the ones that are trying to mess up everything. And so for this fisherman to realize on his own that “Oh, wait, there’s a lot of harm in the fishing techniques that we’re doing on this earth, how can I do better? Not only for me, myself, my immediate family, but like, for my future generations?” Because he thought of his grandson, and his son, what are they going to see? What are they going to be left with?

And so I just thought that was beautiful. In the most heartbreaking possible way. It was heartbreaking, but also beautiful, because it was this man who just realized what his impression was on this earth, and he wanted to make a change. And I just was, like, sold on that. I was like, “how can I help you?” Because he wanted help, right? And that’s something I felt called to action. I felt like that should be my next journey in life, my next chapter, and if you will, like how can I help, you know, people, can I help people like him, help in whatever way I can. I have now all this knowledge, all this education, how can I, you know, lend myself to him and his family and his work. So it was very something special for me, because I’m also Mexican American. I didn’t grow up in Baja. So I want to like be able to connect with them in that way, but also not impose, because I’m still not really a part of the culture, in that fashion. But it’s something that I hope to continue, again, like just conservation biology, and working with people in those communities, I think is something that I want to establish for myself for the rest of my life, because it’s just – nothing gives me more purpose than that. It’s something that I’m very passionate about. I don’t know how to exactly look like, professionally or academically, I’m hoping to turn it into like a thesis for grad school, but I don’t know. Time will tell.

WR: Cristal, I would just like to say that your stories and experiences have been so powerful. I think I speak for all of us when I say we can hear the genuine passion in your voice. It has been so beautiful to hear you talk about your mentors, who have all been strong women or other People of Color, because you all share similar struggles and experiences, and that’s what drives you forward. So thank you for being open and honest in your conversation.

KB: I definitely want to echo that, it’s been an amazing conversation, and we really appreciate your willingness to share with us and be vulnerable. So thank you. And for our listeners, if you were also impacted by Cristal’s story, and you would like to be a part of raising minority voices and voices of women in STEM, while the organizations and people that helped Cristal most were a part of Colorado State University, there are also national in the United States organizations and international organizations, such as 500 Women Scientists, and SACNAS, which advance Hispanics and Native Americans in science and women in science. You can get involved by donating your money, donating your time to get the word out, or also looking at their member pools for people to hire for your organizations.

WR: Thanks again for listening to us. We are the Livable Future Podcast. If you enjoy our conversations, please like and follow us on your favorite streaming platform. We appreciate the support and hope you tune in next episode.