42: A GeoLatina Creates her Path: An interview with Rocío Caballero Gill

When my guest on this episode was young, she was a curious and confident learner. She started higher education in her native Peru, but had to start over in high school when she and her family moved to the United States. Dr. Rocío Caballero Gill shares her story of learning English, following her love of the sciences, and most importantly, keeping her family at the center. We talk about her setbacks and successes, and what she's doing now with GeoLatinas, a member-driven organization whose mission is to embrace, empower, and inspire Latinas to pursue and thrive in careers in Earth and Planetary Sciences. ​

Key points discussed:

• Rocío's childhood in Peru as a curious leader and learner [3:30]
• Beginning higher education in Peru; choosing from limited options [6:00]
• Moving to the U.S. after one semester, having to go back to high school and learn English [9:30]
• Going to community college to stay close to family [14:00]
• Following each step and connection along her path; getting connected with the USGS [17:00]
• Feeling like a first generation college student because of language and culture barriers [18:00]
• Making decisions based on core values, and what she wants most from life and career [24:00]
• Being diagnosed with a chronic disorder and navigating what that meant for her career [28:00]
• Doing her dissertation and post-doc work in another state, and while pregnant [34:00]
• Finding GeoLatinas, and growing it as an organization to give other Latinas female mentors in their fields that she was never able to really find [41:00]

Key Quotes:

• "I'm going to be a learner for life." -Rocío Caballero Gill
• "Why do we have to wait? Why don't we just do it at the same time?" -Rocío Caballero Gill
• "I had to be intentional." -Rocío Caballero Gill
• "What things do I really want? What things can I let go?" -Rocío Caballero Gill
• "The support system I had was really important." -Rocío Caballero Gill
• "Where do I want my energy to go?" -Rocío Caballero Gill
• "I know what I want in the future, and the question is, how do I make it happen without the fear of not knowing all there is to know…" -Rocío Caballero Gill

Connect with Dr. Rocío Caballero Gill:

Twitter

LinkedIn

Instagram

Website

Connect with GeoLatinas:

Website

Twitter

Instagram

Facebook

LinkedIn

Connect with me:

Website

Facebook Group

Facebook Page

This episode was first published at cathymazak.com/episode42.