Musings From a Woman Scientist from the 60s
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...I reflect on my accomplishments as a scientist, teacher, administrator and leader, and wonder how I did it. Certainly, personal qualities were a key, but I have to say that a diverse network of angels (disguised as mentors) contributed greatly to my success. An analogy in genetics is that DNA (genotype) is necessary, but the environment (epigenetics) really influences the finished product (phenotype). No Pedigree: I certainly didn’t come from a long pedigree of successful relatives. My Portuguese-American mom, Edie, dropped out of high school. My father was a Chief Master Sergeant in the Air Force and earned a BA in his sixties. I was one of five daughters who, at age 12, helped my disabled mom raise three younger sisters after my father lost interest in being a husband and father. Even with assistance from loving aunts and our maternal granny, we had to go on welfare. Even the word makes me sad, as if it’s a Scarlet Letter for freeloaders. Dr. Kjelstrom with mom Edie The funny thing about life is that bad times often attract “angels” in the form of family, friends, teachers, or even strangers. My mom was my first mentor. She told my sisters and me that we were intelligent, spiritual, beautiful women, who were just without funds for the moment. We didn’t need to act poor. We could achieve anything that we set our minds to and get back on our feet. She starched and ironed our white blouses every morning, so we looked well-groomed. She encouraged us to do well in school and to read great literature from the library. Friday evenings around the kitchen table, Mom would entertain us with colorful stories of Portuguese immigrants, or we would sing or play a memory game. Mom set the tone: Find joy in simple things, be creative and thankful for your blessings. Free Doughnuts, Empathy We didn’t own a car, so the six of us walked to Mass on Sunday, stopping to enjoy doughnuts courtesy of a kindly baker who wouldn’t take our money. I took this in: kindness and empathy, faith in God, respect for yourself and others. How did I get interested in science? When I was five or six, I decided that boys had a lot more freedom to explore their world than girls. Dresses were a limiting factor, so I convinced mom to let me wear jeans and boots and cut my hair off (The DA—ducktail—was very popular in 1955). Edie wore a dress, heels and makeup to do housework and always had perfect hair. She not only agreed to my proposal, but got a DA too! I call that unconditional love. As I studied my world, my mom encouraged my curiosity. Every day, I spent hours outside collecting rocks, bugs and jars of pond water. I ran and biked everywhere. Mom showed me how to grow an avocado plant from the pit. My favorite experiment was watching a caterpillar transform into a Monarch butterfly. Love of Sports, Science calls for Special Mentors My angels for left brain development emerged in the classroom. Favorite teachers were my science and P.E. teachers, women role models who had earned a college degree and had an unconventional, independent spirit. I was an athlete as well as a scientist, and liked to challenge both body and mind. Current data support the concept that women who do well in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) also participated in sports as a girl. Though I was an A student, male teachers didn’t mentor me. In the 1960s, few women were encouraged to pursue careers in STEM. If a girl liked science, she was directed to nursing or teaching. Women teachers encouraged me to apply for college scholarships and to reach for the stars. Many of them knew of my family’s financial hardships. I fondly remember Ms. Inman. She helped me get braces for my teeth and made sure that I went on field trips to science museums in San Francisco, where she paid my way. In high school, I had the honor to study anatomy and physiology under the tutelage of Mrs. Van Boer. She was brilliant, but tough. She knew I wanted to be an M.D, and asked me to be her teaching assistant for my senior year. My research project was a dozen fertilized chicken eggs in an incubator. Every few days, I removed an egg from the incubator and prepared a microscopic slide, eventually creating a set of slides that followed the development of the chicken. This was a very labor intensive project. The biggest thrill was at the end, when I had one egg left. I took it home, gathered my mom and younger sisters around the kitchen table, and used my dissection kit to remove a small flap of shell. Through the allantoic membrane, we could see blood vessels and the heart beating. It was mesmerizing—we were seeing life. My sisters still talk about that day as a magical one. I graduated at the top of my class from Napa High School, received numerous scholarships and grants, excelled in my undergraduate studies at Sacramento State in Biological Sciences and became a Clinical Laboratory Scientist at UC Davis Medical Center. I married Kent Kjelstrom, a young second lieutenant in the Air Force, and had two daughters, Erika and Andrea. At 36, I started a Ph.D. program in Microbiology at UC Davis and launched a teaching career at age 43, then became the director of the UC Davis Biotechnology Program at age 51. Though I had planned to go to medical school before I had children, and still loved medicine, I felt I could serve it better—after seeing interns in the hospital working 72 hour shifts—as a Ph.D. Ask Forgiveness, Not Permission At every step of my circuitous journey, I had wonderful mentors who opened doors. Dr. Julia Fong, a pathologist, taught me academic discipline and that petite women can be respected and heard. Dr. Ernie Biberstein, a microbiology professor, DVM, and amateur actor, taught me to deliver science lectures with style and wit. Dr. Martina Newell McGloughlin taught me to take risks, be playful and to “ask for forgiveness, not permission”. Gussie Curran, MBA, helped me become an administrator and leader by simply making casual statements: “Tell the truth with kindness”, “Don’t respond in anger”, “Ask for what you want or suffer in silence”. Over the last year, I have developed a whole new cadre of mentors through Leadership California. These women are taking me to a new level of leadership. It takes a village to raise a woman scientist. At each level of development, role models and mentors are needed. Now I give my time freely to pay it forward. I regularly speak at high schools and colleges; am an e-mentor for numerous students (high school through Ph.D.); serve as a judge for science competitions; invite students to tour UC Davis’ research labs. Recently, I was a panelist for the Women Mentoring Women conference at Sacramento State and had a magical day. I shared my personal story, successes and challenges. Much to my surprise, I had a line of young women waiting to talk to me after the session, asking for career advice. I feel so blessed that I can help these young women find their way. Given the shortage of girls pursuing careers in STEM, women professionals must take an active role in mentorship, formal or informal. It is extremely rewarding to have an impact on a young woman’s life and see her blossom. Everyone needs angels in their lives.