First-Gen Faculty: Ólöf Einarsdóttir, (Former Chair, Academic Senate, and Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry Department)
I grew up in Iceland and I was one of 11 children, 8 girls and 3 boys. My mother completed high school, then entered law school but did not finish. My father graduated from high school; he started his own business when he was very young and did not attend college. I grew up in an environment with a heavy emphasis on academics.
What motivated my pursuit of college
It was always assumed that both the girls and boys in our family would pursue higher education, and all of my siblings have done so. My father urged me to go to medical school, but after one semester I decided that life as a doctor was not for me. Instead, I graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and then decided to go abroad for further education. My first thought was to get a Master’s degree because in my mind a Ph.D. was this grand thing and I was not sure whether I had the ability to work at that level. In other words, I lacked self-confidence, despite having done well in school. But soon after I arrived at Colorado State University and compared myself to American students, I realized I actually did have the ability to pursue a Ph.D. and switched into the doctoral graduate program, then completed my dissertation in 1986.
Lack of role models
When I think back to why I lacked self-confidence, I realize it may have been because of society’s expectations of women versus men and a lack of women role models during my undergraduate and graduate education. Back then I did not have a single class taught by a woman, either at the University of Iceland in chemistry or in biochemistry at Colorado State University. In fact, there were no women on the faculty in these disciplines at either institution.
When I was hired by the Chemistry Department at UC Santa Cruz in 1989, I was the only woman in a department of 17 male faculty, which sounds unbelievable today. In 1995, I became the first woman to be promoted to tenure, and 11 years later the first woman chair of the department.
Filling a gap
I never thought of myself as a role model, but I suppose I became one just by being a faculty member for over 25 years and succeeding as a scientist in a very competitive environment. Now, 28 years after I came to UC Santa Cruz, we have 22 professors and four are women. We are doing better, though there is room for improvement. We need more women role models for our undergraduates, graduate students, and underrepresented minorities; and we need to let them know that if they wish to pursue a career in science, they can be successful.
Mentorship through involvement
So, what does it mean to be a role model? Over the years I learned that the best way is to engage students in the work we do at the university, in my case teaching and research. I have participated in summer programs where I mentored underrepresented female and male students from colleges in California and seeing them produce a talk and a poster at the end of the summer has been a very gratifying experience. It has also been very rewarding to help organize and participate in small residential conferences focused on challenges faced by women in the STEM fields across the country.
I got to know many women and underrepresented minorities in the Advanced Biochemistry laboratory course I taught for a number of years. I am very grateful for having played a small part in launching their scientific careers. Few experiences have given me more pleasure than observing these students mature academically and then continue their scientific journey. I hope that they will serve as role models for their own future students and colleagues.
What I would tell my first-year self
Don't be scared. Believe in yourself and don’t be afraid to ask questions. The road may be lonely and difficult, but you are strong and resilient. Your contributions will be valued, whatever path you follow. You can do this.
WiSE Award Video
Ólöf was the 2017 recipient of the UC Santa Cruz Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) Award which honors and showcases people, programs, and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to promoting the success of women in science and engineering at UC Santa Cruz.
