1. Martha Bernal had already decided that she had wanted to pursue an academic career, but was rejected due to her being a woman. Before applying for college, she had to try and change her dad’s view on women’s roles in society. Bernal’s father believed that women were meant to stay home until marriage and take care of their husbands and children. This issue, followed Bernal through college when witnessing her male professors flirting with her female classmates and not being able to participate with her professors on research projects because she is a woman. Not only was her gender preventing her from pursuing her dreams, but so was her ethnicity. Being a woman of Mexican descent meant working twice as hard to prove that she was capable of completing her education.
2. After Martha had attained her Ph.D. she applied for a position as faculty, but was rejected for being a woman. Subsequent to her rejections, she a U.S Public Health Service Postdoctoral Fellowship at UCLA, which allowed her to take part in two years of research in the area of human Psychophysiology. Eventually, Bernal became interested in the research of minorities and set three goals in studying individuals who have encountered situations similar to hers. Her three goals are, to withdraw research and
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Martha Bernal recalls many situations in which she has witnessed a division of Americans and Mexican Americans. Anglo Americans and Mexican American parents often prohibited their kids from interacting with each other. When Bernal began her education, she was not allowed to not speak Spanish or else she would be punished. This proved to be challenging because she did not speak English and had to quickly adapt. Bernal overcame these challenges by pursuing her Ph.D regardless of what her professors told her. She traveled to multiple universities to speak with students and faculty who were part of the minority and have them openly talk about the changes that needed to take place in