Interviewing Margarita Guzman & Valerie Gomez

Photo via Town of West New York

BY: SARAH DECARO-RINCON, SUMMER COLLABORATOR AT POWER IN PLACE

On July 31st, I had the pleasure of photographing and interviewing Commissioner Margarita Guzman and her nominee Valerie Gomez. I have had the privilege of knowing Commissioner Guzman since I was a sophomore at High Tech High School. Along with being a commissioner for the town of West New York, NJ, Margarita Guzman is also a Spanish teacher that goes out of her way to support & help her students. Before interviewing Commissioner Guzman, I knew that she was a kind, intelligent, & moral person. Our interview not only strengthened those views, but also showed me how much she cares about her community and constituents. 

Throughout the interview, Commissioner Guzman stressed the fact that being in politics is about serving your community, and doing what is best for your constituents. Ever since the beginning of the pandemic, Commissioner Guzman has helped to start a project that is feeding West New York, NJ. Commissioner Guzman, alongside others from the community, have been going door-to-door handing out bags of food to those in need. This is not the only way Ms. Guzman helps our community. Commissioner Guzman’s Special Place of Meaning was the park she helped rebuilt that has a gorgeous view of the New York Skyline. The park on 58th street and J.F.K. Boulevard East represents her first action as Commissioner of Parks and Recreation, and the New York Skyline, an open door for opportunities for all immigrants, including herself. 

Every year on International Women’s Day, Commissioner Guzman hosts a luncheon to support and applaud the strong women in our community. She invites business women, police officers, politicians, and even her students to show them all that they are truly valued. Commissioner Guzman does all she can to encourage and inspire other women to be involved in their communities & to take positions of power and leadership. A great example of this is Commissioner Guzman’s nominee, Valerie Gomez, who does an amazing job at taking leadership in our community. 

Valerie Gomez was born-and-raised in West New York, NJ and is a middle school math teacher in Brooklyn. The work that Valerie does for our community is noteworthy and inspiring. Ms. Gomez is the co-founder of Food for Us, an initiative/organization that gives food & resources to those in need all over Hudson County. One thing that Valerie emphasized was the importance of offering plant-based options, fresh fruits, & vegetables because they “believe in de-colonizing the diet. We realized that we have been fed a lot of the residue food that is just unhealthy for us. It’s what feed this cycle of heart problems, diabetes, all of these things we tend to see in communities of color.” The health of our community is at stake because of COVID-19, and Valerie is doing what she can to help our immune systems. 

Both Commissioner Margarita Guzman & Valerie Gomez are two very intelligent, proud, strong women of color who are improving our community with their leadership. Every step that they take to better the lives of the people around them is another step in inspiring more young women to try and take charge. I want to thank them again for taking the time out of their days to help Power in Place to continue to spread the message of female empowerment. 

Sarah DeCaro-Rincon is part of the Sarah Lawrence class of 2023 and her concentrations are Political Science and Pre-Law. Some of Sarah's passions are immigration reform and the rights of workers in the service industry (hotel, restaurant, etc.). Her favorite part about being a part of Power in Place is working with and hearing from strong, intelligent, inspiring women.

"Any female leader is inherently an innovator, paving the way for others to follow"

BY: KATHERINE MELBOURNE, PIP GUEST BLOGGER

When I was eight years old, I decided I wanted to get a doctoral degree. I had just spent some time going through one of my favorite books at the time, Kiss My Math by Danica McKellar, when I noticed that by the author’s name was a suffix I had never seen before: “PhD”. I ran into my parents’ room and asked them what these three little letters meant, listening as my mom explained how they were reserved for very smart people who contributed a unique theory to their field of study.

Wanting to be like the amazing woman who wrote this book, I whipped out my rainbow notepad and sparkly pen and got to work.

After an hour of struggling through my fourth-grade-level arithmetic, the conclusion of my basic calculations showed that 1= 0. Thinking I had broken math and would surely get that coveted “PhD” for my efforts, I tucked the paper with all my mathematical scribbles onto my bookshelf for safekeeping.

Though I didn’t get that doctorate at age eight, I kept that same curiosity and determination through all of my studies. In my imagination, there was no goal too high, no ambition unachievable. Eventually, my interest in science and math led me to discover my love of astronomy. By the time I was in high school, I knew that to become a research professor in astronomy, I would need to understand physics. It wasn’t until my first day in a formal high school physics class, eight years after learning what a PhD was, that I started to doubt my abilities. As one of three female students out of more than 20 in my class, I had my first experience with the gender gap in STEM. Though I was slightly more intimidated by the journey to become an astronomer after that first course ended, I stuck with my original intentions as I graduated high school, went to college, and chose to major in physics.

The introductory STEM courses at most universities are often considered to be the “weed out” courses, designed to separate those truly interested in pursuing a subject from those who are not as serious. Research has demonstrated that this process affects women more than in does men; despite taking similar courses in their K-12 education, significantly fewer women than men graduate from almost every scientific area of study. My freshman year calculus and physics classes hit me hard, and I found myself wondering if I was cut out for STEM as I struggled to grasp the concepts in the most foundational classes our school offered.

Later that year, I became a part of the Women in Physics group on campus. As I began participating more in their events, I realized that those feelings of insecurity and self-doubt had also been felt by many of the female physicists I consider to be role models, including fellow students and professors. Finally, I had found my place as a physics major, both getting and giving support in this community of strong women, who just happened to have a love of science.

Last fall, I realized that my journey in STEM was pushing me in a new direction. As I began thinking about where I would apply for summer research or internships, I found myself searching for opportunities that would allow me to use my physics background indirectly. The idea of advocating for STEM from through public policy was not something I had considered for my own goals before but was something I immediately found interesting. Deciding that pursuing science policy had the potential to completely change my direction in college, I applied to an internship through the Office of International and Interagency Relations at NASA Headquarters for the next internship cycle available over the spring.

“The challenge of being female and a leader in any field does not come from women being any less smart, talented, and capable than their male counterparts. Rather, the challenge comes from not seeing many people like you who have already undertaken the journey you are about to start. ”

Until I spent the last semester off from school to complete this internship in Washington, D.C., my experiences in physics came only through my classes and my research projects. Suddenly, I was involved in science on a governmental scale. My focus shifted from depth to breadth; instead of contributing to one project, I had an impact on many projects as I helped draft agreements with foreign partners and plan international seminars. I supported work in aeronautics, astrophysics, and everywhere in between, learning pieces about each program mission along the way. Immersed in my work at NASA, I realized that I don’t have to be in a lab to support my interests in science and to advocate for women in STEM. Work happening through the government to ensure the success of individual projects in STEM is just as essential as the work of scientists to push their fields forward.  

As I continue to study physics while branching out to explore science policy, I’ve realized that the challenge of being female and a leader in any field does not come from women being any less smart, talented, and capable than their male counterparts. Rather, the challenge comes from not seeing many people like you who have already undertaken the journey you are about to start. Any female leader is inherently an innovator, paving the way for others to follow and making it easier for others to create their own paths in the future. It is this idea that keeps pushing me forward. Although my future goals might change, I now can reassure my eight-year-old self, knowing that women can do anything, especially when we empower those around us along the way.

Katie is from Bettendorf, Iowa and is a sophomore Physics major at Yale University. With a combined interest in scientific research and communication, she intends to pursue a career working toward the advancement of science through policy development and public education. She is on the board of the Yale Women in Physics, and outside of STEM, she loves to plays clarinet in the marching band and train for half-marathons.