Nadine Nakamura

Nadine Nakamura, PhD
Associate professor at the University of La Verne

Interviewed by Isabelle Orozco

1. If you could give your younger self advice, what would it be?

The path forward may seem unclear, but you will forge your path as you go. Trust your ability to adapt and grow. Find your comrades and have fun. Also, you don’t have to suffer. If something isn’t working for you, try something else.

2. How did college shape your understanding of the world?

I was fortunate to attend the University of California, Los Angeles as an undergrad where I was able to take Asian American Studies courses. This was the first time I saw my experiences and concerns in the curriculum. This greatly impact my thinking about centering the experiences of marginalized people in psychology.

3. How important is it to be a mentor?

Being a mentor is one of my favorite parts of my career. I find it deeply rewarding to engage with students and early career professionals, to help them see their experiences in a broader context, and to learn the culture of the profession without giving up who they are. As a mentor, I also enjoy connecting mentees to opportunities and networks. Through mentorship, we have the opportunity to diversify the pipeline, which will ultimately result in a profession that is more reflective of society and that will benefit us all.

4. How has a mentor impacted your life, your career?

The mentors who have most impacted my career have been the ones who believed I was ready before I did. Maria Cecilia Zea, PhD, my graduate mentor, told me to apply for an National Institute of Mental Health predoctoral research award before I knew to be intimidated by it. Her confidence in me has encouraged me to try things I might not other wise have pursued. More recently, Arlene Noriega, PhD, encouraged me to apply to co-chair the task force that developed the Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Sexual Minority Persons. I tend to see myself as a contributor and not the leader, but she believed I had more to offer than I even did.

5. What are some ways that we can support our next generation of womxn leaders and can you highlight a young womxn advocating for womxn’s civic engagement we should all know about and support?

We can support the next generation of womxn leaders by making space for them and inviting them in. Womxn, especially womxn of color, have been socialized to wait our turn and put others needs ahead of our own. Therefore, we need to push against this conditioning and tell womxn of color that we believe you have something to say, something worth listening to, and that you are ready.

One young womxn that immediately comes to mind is Rose Dhaliwal, a doctoral student at the University of La Verne, who has been involved with civic engagement since high school and is currently serving as the president of her program’s Psychology Graduate Student Association. Rose is also co-lead for the Asian American Psychological Association's Division of South Asian Americans 2021 Summer Fellowship Program. In addition, she has been serving on the planning committee and co-facilitating the series "Reflections: Farmers Protests" to provide a safe space for Indians/families of Indians directly impacted by the farm laws introduced in 2020 by the Indian government that disproportionately impact marginalized communities in states like Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. I can’t wait to see where she’ll lead us during her career.