On Thursday, Oct. 19 the University of Massachusetts held a discussion at the New Africa House about imposter syndrome and the issue of underrepresentation of women of color in positions of power.

Toyin Odogun, a senior psychology major, led the discussion, and started by talking about the stigma that some children of color grow up under which convinces them they won’t have the ability to succeed.

Imposter syndrome, as defined by the Harvard Business Review, is “chronic self-doubt and a sense of intellectual fraudulence that override any feelings of success or external proof of their competence.”

Odogun shifted the conversation to address the lack of representation that many students of color experience in a predominantly white institution. “I wasn’t prepared for there not to be as many people that looked like me on campus,” she said.

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic made Odogun’s experience on campus, once in-person classes resumed, significantly more challenging than it would have been for students prior to the pandemic. “It [was] kind of like waking up with somebody splashing ice cold water on your face,” she said.

Members of the audience emphasized the need for a supportive community to combat imposter syndrome.

Mei Lin Pratt, a staff member at the Center for Counseling and Psychological Health (CCPH), noted “even having this [discussion] space that you all put on is combating this.”

Pratt encouraged students to utilize CCPH if they ever experience self-doubt regarding their abilities or feel they don’t belong in certain positions of power, even when they are fully capable.

CCPH assists students in “cop[ing] with stress or anxiety, find strategies to overcome challenges, promote mental wellbeing and succeed in college life and beyond,” according to their website.

The discussion also highlighted the importance of professors making students of color feel comfortable and heard in class, especially in the presence of majority white peers.

“If no one else is praising the strengths that I have, then what is the meaning of having them,” Pratt asked. In positions of high power where women of color are the minority it’s important all their strengths are valued and not only certain ones, Pratt added.

“Knowing other people that look like me in my major…getting in touch with mentors. It’s very reassuring to have [these] conversations,” Odogun said.

While representation is essential, both Pratt and Odogun stressed the importance of creating an environment where women of color feel comfortable expressing their ideas and thoughts once they enter these smaller spaces.

“They should feel comfortable coming into a classroom that they pay for,” Odogun said.

Eva Maniatty can be reached at [email protected].