By Eunice Sung

Failure. Fraud. Luck. Those struggling with imposter syndrome commonly use these words to describe themselves and their accomplishments, according to the American Psychological Association [APA].

“For the longest time I [thought], ‘Oh my gosh, I don’t deserve to be at [the University of] Maryland. I don’t really fit in here. Nobody really likes me,’” said Stephanie George, the graduate assistant of the Transfer and Off-Campus Student Life office studying geospatial intelligence.

This imposter syndrome phenomenon can appear when individuals are unable to internalize or accept their success, according to the APA. “They often attribute their accomplishments to luck rather than to ability, and fear that others will eventually unmask them as a fraud,” it says on their website. 

The Office of Graduate Student Life and the Office of Graduate Diversity and Inclusion held a social justice lunch regarding imposter syndrome on March 11 in hopes of alleviating these symptoms that may be affecting some students. It is one of many events scheduled for Women’s History Month.

Brandon Dula, the assistant director of the Multicultural Involvement and Community Advocacy, said this month is dedicated to recognizing women’s contribution to America’s progress in history. 

“It’s another way to educate the campus about different groups,” he said. “You should learn about women every day of the year. It should go beyond that.”

Luanjiao Hu, the graduate assistant of OGL, said the lunch and discussion was an opportunity to start the conversation about imposter syndrome, create more awareness and prepare people with tactics on how to overcome it. 

The issue is “so prevalent, especially among those who have a lot of accomplishments,” Hu said. As a doctoral student studying international education policy, she relates deeply with imposter syndrome and those who struggle with it.

Hu and her team were inspired to organize this event after reading an article about a doctoral student who made a skirt out of rejection letters she received in the last five years. 

The event initially included a hands-on craft activity in which participants would decorate the exterior of a mask with the way they present themselves to others, while the inside would exhibit how they felt about themselves internally. However, the event was cut short, and participants were sent away with the masks to minimize social contact in light of COVID-19. 

According to George, there were seven other students who attended the event to talk about their personal experiences and the different ways they can handle imposter syndrome in the future.

“It was really important for me to see that there are other people who feel this way because in my family…they don’t know what imposter syndrome is. They just think it’s insecurities,” she said. “But seeing this beautifully diverse group of people coming together to combat it, it was really inspiring and it was really comforting.”

Although this event was planned during Women’s History Month, Hu said that imposter syndrome does not affect women exclusively. At the event, men outnumbered women 5-3, George said.

“It’s a phenomenon that’s very widespread in both men and women,” she said.

According to Hu, there is no particular root cause behind all cases of imposter syndrome. However, George said her culture and race played a role in creating self-doubt, which demonstrates the impact intersectionality–ways  in which the effects of multiple forms of discrimination combine or intersect– can have on inducing this destructive mindset. 

“I can definitely see how a lot of racism from my childhood did have a huge impact on me,” George said. “I had to whitewash the walls of my identity to feel like I belonged.”

George said she took away new strategies to help her overcome this phenomenon.

“We all have our own strengths and it’s not useful for anyone to compare ourselves to each other when we have different strengths,” she said. “It’s really something you have to personalize and tailor to yourself … you have to figure out what works for you.”

Featured photo courtesy of Eunice Sung.