Life and Work with Virginia Downing

Today we’d like to introduce you to Virginia Downing.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I guess someone’s story always starts with what they first remember. I grew up in the Midwest, Kansas to be exact, and I remember my brother and I always doing something. We didn’t have much growing up but my mom knew how to maximize what little we had and never let my brother and I feel like we were missing anything. She enrolled us in a variety of programs through parks and recreation services as well as through community organizations within schools such as Boys & Girls Club. During the school year, it was scholastic books fairs and after-school programs and during the summer it was whatever sport we wanted to try that season. I faked a lot of injuries in soccer when I was eight but looking back, I know now why my mom kept us so busy because it was to avoid what was going on in our community: violence, substance abuse, the works. I was so unaware of what I grew up in that when we moved away from my neighborhood to a predominantly white community, the culture shock never really hit. I just thought it was a new place to stay busy. Looking back, I’m thankful for my upbringing in so many ways, but my passion for learning by experiencing has shifted to opening my eyes more to the realities of the world I live in. I love learning and experiencing new ways to approach ideas or new ways of action which I think has led me to my path of research and being a participant in community organizations.

Has it been a smooth road?
Definitely not a smooth road, and a road I don’t feel that I’ve conquered any finish line in any way but instead still cruising through! Beyond the systemic barriers that I encountered growing up that make it hard for young black women like me to even consider experiencing places to learn more about others and themselves, I think the hardest struggles happened in high school when I lacked motivation after the passing of our family’s biggest cheerleader, my grandmother. There were days, I could not get the energy to get to school or do my homework, and my daydreaming self can’t remember if I daydreamed at all for about three years of my high school career. I knew my grandma wanted college for all of her grandchildren, but I could not push myself to get there because she wasn’t going to be there. If it wasn’t for my family’s constant support and presence while we all adapted to become cheerleaders for each other, and my teachers who fed my creative spirit, I’m not sure my daydreams about college and traveling the world would have come to fruition. My daydreams of future goals and wants to help me make it through future struggles as I worked to balance college and working part-time, growing more independent and confident as a woman and battling insecurities along the way (which I’m still working through).

My advice for other women, especially young black women is to embrace the re-imagining of how things could be. Daydream often about your future and trust that what you envision in your head can be a reality and let that be your focus.

Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
Currently, I work at ASU (Arizona State University) as an Academic Success Manager within an advising office. A part of my job is to meet with students to talk about their academic and future goals beyond college and I love encouraging students to go after what they want and how to build a strategic plan to get there! Through my job, I have gotten to learn so much more about issues in equity and access in higher education and become more a part of the ASU Community and the Tempe community. I conduct research within a Biology Education Research group that explores issues in equity and access in undergraduate biology and through this, I gained a love for research and has led me to the future Ph.D. that I will be starting in the fall at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I also love working at ASU because of the connections to the community it provides through centers like the Center for the Study of Race & Democracy who have provided programming and initiatives that woke me up and fed my hunger to better be an ally for the community I am a part of.

To my co-workers and advising community, I’m probably known for my energy about big ideas and I am proud of that, while sometimes I know the fine details become burdens along the way for me. I like to collaborate with people and think big about how we can solve problems in education and I think that sets me apart too. I don’t work well with idea development on my own, I thrive with others and hope to continue to do that in my future research with communities who are already doing amazing work!

There’s a wealth of academic research that suggests that a lack of mentors and networking opportunities for women has materially affected the number of women in leadership roles. Smart organizations and industry leaders are working to change this, but in the meantime, do you have any advice for finding a mentor and building a network?
When it comes to networking and making connections with people that could become mentors to you, I would say be a little vulnerable and honest about what your “why” is. I’m still getting better at this, but I feel the more open I am to expressing what my goals are and why I have those goals, the more I am witnessing my relationships with people growing deeper. You definitely want a mentor to be someone who knows the root of your “why” so when networking, make that “why” clear even if you aren’t 100 percent sure how to get to that “why” yet… that’s what a mentor can help with! I say a ‘little vulnerable’ because I feel sometimes, in networking situations, it feels like a space where people could potentially take advantage of you. Be open to connections and trust your gut to know when vulnerability can make itself present in connection building!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @ginid08
• Twitter: @ginid08

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