Strategies to Foster LatinX Inclusion in Microbiology Programs

Abstract

Inclusion is an active, powerful, and emotional noun that over the past years has helped me reconcile my main passions in life: microbiology, teaching, research, and mentoring. Although I am now part of an inclusive excellence family, during my graduate school I always felt alone, like an imposter microbiologist. I want to avoid other Latinas feeling the same way; consequently, I share frameworks and strategies here to foster inclusion in Microbiology departments. I have been teaching Microbiology for more than 20 years at a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), and my strategies range from the personal to the institutional level. As a first-generation Latina who barely survived in a Microbiology graduate program at a Primarily White Institution (PWI), I emphasize how culture can affect student learning. I use the example of microbial mats, resilient laminated ecosystems, as inclusive communities in the microbial world.