Meet Mayra Gaona | School Psychologist & Content Creator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mayra Gaona and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mayra, what are you inspired by?
I am inspired by my parents and my community. I am inspired by the many people with a background like mine who persevere, fight to achieve their dreams, and defy the narratives that society has created of us. I am inspired by those who despite having people tell them they can or can’t pursue a certain dream due to their background or identity, do it anyway.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m Mayra! I recently defended my dissertation and became a Doctor; the first Doctor in my family. I am finishing up my training & only a bit away from becoming a school psychologist. I am also the creator of the IG page @becomingadoctora where I have shared about my doctoral/graduate school experiences being a low-income, Latina daughter of immigrants.

I started my PhD journey in August 2017, a few months after graduating with a Bachelor’s in Psychology. Nobody in my family or in my close community had done anything like this before. Fast forward to today, I’m here, a whole DOCTOR. I’m beyond grateful. The journey has not been easy. I’ve had to balance the expectations of my PhD program, staying committed to my family, taking care of myself, and doing things I enjoy. I’ve experienced imposter syndrome and still experience it from time to time. I have had to deal with isolation, burnout, and exhaustion. I have had to navigate attending a primarily White institution (PWI) and the lack of peers and faculty that look like me. I have had to pave the way for myself. That’s never easy. However, I have grown personally and professionally.

I’ve come to really understand my identity as a psychologist and my “why” as a psychologist. I’ve also come to understand what I want to do moving forward with my IG page: @becomingadoctora. Both of these things are actually intertwined and connected. It goes back to giving back to my community. My journey, while very similar to that of others, is unique because it is MY journey. I found my passion within academia but also by utilizing social media & content creation. I want to continue sharing my experiences as a first-gen PhD and psychologist. I also want to guide others through their graduate school/PhD journeys. I can honestly say that I have made my share of mistakes along the way, but I know better now. And now that I know better, I will not let those that come after me make the same mistakes. I want to use the experiences and knowledge that I’ve gained across my PhD journey to help others make an informed decision on whether or not pursuing a PhD is the right thing for them. I want others to see themselves in my story. You are not alone, even if others want you to feel like you are.

To overcome the challenges of this journey, I’ve found strength in my family, my community, and continuously revisiting why I embarked on this journey in the first place. I also created Becoming a Doctora to help me through the journey. Originally, I created the page with the idea that it would be a self-care strategy. I believed that using the platform and sharing pictures of my day or reflections of my day-to-day experiences would be good for me. After a while, I realized that a lot of people wanted to hear about these experiences & that there was a large community of people who were going through the same things I was. What Becoming a Doctora has become now is incredible.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m from Chicago, so the very first thing I would take my best friend to is to tour the major landmarks/sights in Chicago like the Bean, Navy Pier, and Buckingham Fountain. Then, I would take them to explore hidden gems within many of the Chicago neighborhoods like Pilsen and Little Village where you can find Latino & Black-owned restaurants, book stores, coffee shops, and more.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I dedicate my shoutout to my parents. I wouldn’t be here sharing my story with others if it wasn’t for them.

Instagram: becomingadoctora

Twitter: MayraAGaona

Image Credits
Noemi Ibarra Logo: Jessica Cadavid