CEE Spotlight: Valeria Nava

Hometown/County: Wheatland, California, and Reno, Nevada, USA

What drew you to Civil and Environmental Engineering? 

I grew up frequently visiting my grandfather’s avocado farms in Coatepec Harinas, Mexico, learning how he tended to the crops based on feel- how much water, fertilizer, and light the trees wanted. Along with having always sought comfort in nature and growing up next to one of the world’s most pristine lakes, Lake Tahoe, I was always adamant that I wanted to have a career centered around the environment.

Being of the generation whose education warned early on that climate change was going to significantly shape the events of my lifetime, becoming an engineer who could work to mitigate the threats that environmental systems faced seemed like a good way to channel the anxiety and passion I felt about climate change. 

How did/does your identity influence your decision to pursue engineering/STEM? 

My parents immigrated to southern California from Mexico as teenagers, where they worked labor-intensive jobs for low pay and faced significant adversity so they could provide me with the opportunities I have been so fortunate to have. One of the greatest expectations of my upbringing is that I would not waste the advantage I have of being an American-born citizen- mainly the opportunities to propel myself to a future (theoretically) without the same challenges by achieving a high level of education.

Like many first-generation students, getting to choose what my future might look like was such a foreign concept in contrast to always choosing the ‘safe option’, that a big part of my decision was choosing something prosperous and stable. Over time though, I have found a niche in environmental engineering that intrigues me, feeds my curiosity, and connects back to my upbringing. The cherry on top is that I’m able to learn from some of the most brilliant people in this field.   

How did your lens on diversity, equity, and inclusion take shape both as you grew up and as you entered adulthood and academia? 

For me, being a first-generation student is sometimes an uncomfortable experience. For most of my life, I have felt like I have never belonged in academic spaces because, at least in engineering, it is male and white-dominated. I don't go into situations looking to 'other' myself, but it doesn't take long after you walk into a classroom to realize you're the only female or the only Latina, and oftentimes I catch myself asking 'Do I really belong here?’

For a long time, I struggled with what my identity meant for me as an engineer because, in a way, there is a lack of refuge. On the other hand, my struggles felt invalid in comparison to the ones my parents experienced, and it is difficult for them to understand the challenges I faced in feeling accepted in academia. So really for a long time, my identity was like a pendulum, feeling foreign in two spaces in which I wasn't fully a part of. 

I’ve alleviated a lot of the uncertainty surrounding my identity by participating in groups that bring together people from different backgrounds, where it’s understood, honored, and respected that identity is a flux and, in some spaces, I feel more Latina than in others and that is okay.

Surrounding myself with a diverse group of people, like in our department, has helped me to feel that my contributions are valued, which has been so validating and rewarding. Though many of us in these diverse communities share many of the same sentiments, it is also enriching to learn from everyone's distinct experiences and perspectives, and I feel so honored to have the opportunity to do so.

What positive experiences have you had at CMU that you would hope others would have? 

I have really enjoyed getting to explore and learn outside of my immediate discipline. I’m grateful that I have had the opportunity to take some fantastic humanities courses that have allowed me to identify new topics that I am passionate about. I hope that others can also take an opportunity to step away from STEM and learn about similar topics through a different lens.  

Also, since I started my PhD in the fall of 2020, I have fully been able to experience the difference a community can make. Specifically, when a Latine student joined my lab, we have created a space where we can share common experiences yet also learn from each other. Through this, I have become more aware of how my background can influence my work, and where these two things intersect. I hope that as academia moves to becoming a more diverse space, other students can also have these types of experiences to make them feel more accepted and comfortable.

In your position as a graduate student, how do you advocate for inclusion? 

In an effort to be a part of actionable change, I joined the department's DEI committee so that I can participate in the conversations and planning surrounding the department’s initiatives to be a more DEI space. On the macroscale, I think remaining critical about these systems and trying to evaluate where the gaps are and where progress can be made is one of the ways that I try to advocate. Though, many times I have felt that fighting for DEI has been like fighting against the tide, against the systemic resistance to change. On occasion, I feel defeated by the fact that DEI efforts don’t feel targeted or potent enough to try and combat the obstacles that traditionally underrepresented groups face. Though I understand that I cannot change these systems alone, momentum for change comes on an individual level and for me it has been important to realize that inclusion (and diversity and equity) is both systemic and individual. I'm hopeful that especially in academia, change can be brought about to make for a more DEI environment where it traditionally has not been. 

On the other hand, as a scientist, it is sometimes difficult to draw a bridge between hard science and the broader impacts of my research on DEI. I have come to realize that even though my work is more fundamental science, there are communities and groups of people who will eventually be touched by my research in some way. I try to continue asking myself if there might be any unintended consequences of the technology we’re trying to develop, if the communities I'm thinking about are marginalized in some way already, would I be making it worse/better? I understand that I don't have the means or power to directly change the outcomes for these communities, but I can at least critically think about what equity gaps have been created in the past with similar technologies and try to maintain that critical lens in my work. 

Do you have any advice for incoming (students, faculty, or staff)? 

Connect, Connect, and Connect.

The most impactful and meaningful learning can be made in spaces where you are not the expert, and your expertise can be uniquely synthesized to create novel ways of thinking. Although you’re going to want to dive completely into your realm, try to often step outside of these comfortable spaces, where you’re likely to be the listener and not the teacher.