Latinx Heritage Month Spotlight: Steffanie Guillermo

How do your culture, family background, and history influence your work? 

My mom, who is Mexican, and her side of the family taught me and my sisters to be humble, work hard, and think about your family and community in what you do. That has shaped my research, which is about prejudice against racial and ethnic groups, including Latinx populations. 

How did you become interested in this research?

As an undergraduate, I took a class called Psychology of Stereotyping Prejudice and Discrimination. I had no idea that these questions about why racial bias persists could be a line of research. I saw that my own identity, Latinx and Mexican, was not well represented in the literature. I wanted to fill that gap. I examine questions of bias toward Latinx communities with the goal of intervening, achieving equity, and reducing bias. 

How did you get to where you are now? What challenges and victories have you experienced? 

I got here thanks to support from my family and mentors who had my back. That guides my mentorship of students at Pitzer. Knowing that my identity is not well represented in this field can be a challenge. I’m aware of it not just for myself but also my students. I work in my research lab with many students of color, who are historically underrepresented in academia and psychology. 

What does this heritage month mean to you? 

Connecting with my culture is always salient for me, but this month it’s more on my mind. I think about cooking with my grandma. It’s connecting with food and culture but also the memories and bonds I have with my family. I listen to Selena Quintanilla year-round, but I’ll listen to more of her music this month! 

What drew you to Pitzer?  

My sister went to Pitzer. I knew it was a great experience for her and the values are consistent with my own. It’s so special not just to work at such an amazing place but also to know what it’s meant to my family.