"I don't know if you'll be able to reach her," the student said. I was in the first year of my master's program, preparing to be a teaching assistant by contacting students who had taken the course in previous years. This student had recommended that I connect with the graduate student who had taught the course when he took it, but now he was backtracking."She was pregnant when she taught the class. She must be on leave now.
Once I entered the academic world, on the other hand, I found that speaking about my daughter with my colleagues and professors usually elicited surprise—or worse. When I finished my master's degree and decided to apply for a Ph.D., for example, a professor told me that pursuing a doctoral degree would be challenging in my"situation."
Even so, I want to do science. Academic research shouldn't only be for people who have the privilege of time and money. So I'm pushing forward with my academic training. Despite my discomfort and the potential for backlash, I need to make myself visible as a single parent and to advocate for change.