Am I Qualified to Be An Activist?

Welcome back to ‘Am I Qualified to Do This’ a podcast for anyone who has ever asked themselves ‘am I qualified to do this?’ I am your host, Cathryn Kelly, studier of imposter syndrome and constant asker of the question Am I Qualified to Do this, including right now as I record and edit this podcast. 

I am not gonna lie, I was so close to not having an episode this week. The tension in the country was just weighing heavy on me and my anxiety and imposter syndrome was making me feel like I was honestly not qualified to hold the conversations I so desperately wanted to hold. 

But when listening back through the interviews I realized that I have one guest’s whose episode could not wait any longer to be put out to the public

This week my guest is super timely with the looming election and racial unrest in our country. Juany Torres is the proud oldest daughter of Mexican immigrants and a first generation American. She was born and raised in the south side of San Antonio, Texas and attended Stanford University on a full scholarship by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Juany worked at the White House as part of the Domestic Policy Council under President Obama before joining Google Inc. After her time in the bay area, Juany served as the Nevada Deputy Digital Director for Hillary Clinton's Presidential Campaign before returning back to San Antonio and focusing on increasing civic engagement in her home state of Texas.  Juany served as the Deputy Campaign Manager for Ron Nirenberg for Mayor and served in his office before helping her Stanford peer Lina Hidalgo run for Harris County Judge in Houston, Texas. In 2019 Juany began pursuing her Masters in Public Affairs at the University of Texas' LBJ School. Most recently, Juany was selected as the inaugural public policy fellow for WTS Heart of Texas Chapter and Mayor Adler's office. In her role, she is focused on increasing equity and opportunity through transportation policy. But Jauny is so much more than her impressive resume, she is a community leader not only in San Antonio but nationally and is a true inspiration who seek to lend their voice to their community. 

I know you are wondering what an amazing activist like Juany is doing on a podcast about imposter syndrome. Well, as I said before, no one can escape imposter syndrome – it’s something that everyone faces.

Now, let’s dive into the interview.