Freedom, Personhood, Impact: Alt-Academic Collective on Careers in STEM

🧪 What if leaving academia isn't failure, but the courageous choice to prioritize your values, well-being, and authentic impact over a system that wasn't designed for you?

Today on ⁠Science with Impact⁠, we bring you a powerful collective conversation featuring four incredible voices: Drs. Adri Corrales (Museum Education and now grant writing for Unite Oregon), Melissa Collini (Podcast Host & Educator), Morgan Howe (University Data Analyst), and Vanessa Rosa (Science Communication Entrepreneur).

Together, they dismantle the myth that leaving academia means "dripping out of the pipeline, " sharing raw, honest insights about building careers centered on freedom, personhood, and meaningful impact.

🤔 Who is this for?

* Graduate students questioning their academic trajectory

* Postdocs feel trapped in cycles that don't serve them

* Early-career researchers seeking validation for alternative paths

* Anyone struggling with impostor syndrome or feeling "less than" for choosing differently

* Scientists and educators who want to work to be part of life, not all of it

📋 What is it about?

This collective recording session explores the emotional and practical realities of choosing alternative academic careers. The conversation covers everything from recognizing when your body is telling you something's wrong, to the pressure to stay in academia for representation, to the liberating realization that you can choose where to live based on what feeds your soul, not just job availability.

Each panelist shares their journey toward careers that honor their values:

* Adri's transition to community-centered museum work,

* Melissa's move toward teaching and podcasting,

* Morgan's role in university analytics has clear boundaries, and

* Vanessa's leap into entrepreneurship.

They discuss the importance of questioning systems that don't align with your values, finding communities that share your priorities, and imagining new possibilities that might not even exist.

🗒️ Key Takeaway: You can build a career that honors your values, leverages your strengths, and prioritizes your well-being, often by stepping outside traditional academic roles and embracing opportunities to make a direct, tangible impact in your community.

⌚️ Time Stamps:

00:00 Opener00:42 Introduction01:15 Adri's Advice: Follow Your Path04:09 Melissa's Perspective: Reassurance and Validation05:56 Morgan's Insights: Finding Your Community08:22 Melissa's Follow-Up: Listen to Your Body11:22 Vanessa's Research and Faculty Insights13:25 Imagining New Possibilities17:42 Freedom, Personhood, and Impact19:32 Personal Stories and Reflections36:42 Building community and validation

📣 Guests:

* Morgan Howe, Ph.D. | Institutional Researcher, Cal State Channel Islands

* Adri Corrales, Ph.D. | (Recording)  Public Programs & Exhibit Developer, Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. (Curre