Humanizing STEM Pathways Through Pláticas

Featured Guest:
Dr. Katherine Arias Garcia, Chancellor’s and NSF STEM Education Postdoctoral Fellow at UC Irvine

Host:
Dr. Frank Gomez, Executive Director, CSU STEM-NET

Main Topic:
Centering Latinx students’ voices and experiences in STEM education research through pláticas methodology.

Key Themes Discussed:

Pláticas as a research method
Dr. Arias Garcia describes pláticas as relational conversations grounded in trust, lived experience, and co-constructed knowledge. Unlike traditional interviews, pláticas are not one-directional or extractive. They allow students to share openly and participate in the knowledge-building process.

Microaggressions and belonging in STEM
The episode highlights how Latinx students may experience subtle but repeated messages that question their competence, identity, or place in STEM. These experiences can lead students to feel both highly visible and invisible, affecting their sense of belonging and persistence.

The human side of STEM learning
Dr. Arias Garcia explains that STEM environments often prioritize performance, productivity, and efficiency, leaving little room for reflection, emotion, or identity development. Pláticas help reveal what students are carrying and what institutions may overlook.

Moving away from deficit framing
Rather than asking what students lack, Dr. Arias Garcia encourages researchers and institutions to ask what strengths students bring. For example, students who work while attending school may be demonstrating responsibility, persistence, and time management, rather than simply facing a barrier.

HSI servingness and accountability
The conversation distinguishes between simply being designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and actually serving students. True servingness requires campuses to listen to student experiences, allocate resources intentionally, develop culturally relevant programming, and act on what students share.

Mentorship with structure and purpose
Dr. Arias Garcia discusses mentorship as relational, reciprocal, and intentional. She notes that mentorship should not be left to chance or personality fit. Campuses should create structured mentorship systems that support students early and consistently.

Expanding how STEM defines rigor
The episode pushes back on the idea that culturally responsive methods weaken STEM education. Instead, Dr. Arias Garcia argues that they expand rigor by capturing dimensions of student experience that traditional methods may miss.

Reciprocity in research
Dr. Arias Garcia explains that research should give back to students and communities. Examples include paid research roles, student co-authorship, conference participation, and culturally relevant advising tools such as the Latinx pre-med guide she co-created with students.

Episode Credits

Produced, edited, and mixed by Monica Alarcon

Hosted by Dr. Frank A. Gomez

Music licensed by Premium Beat