How A Superhero Deals With Adversity
It’s very easy for us to conform to stereotypes and to inadvertently mould our children with these preconceptions. Boys are usually given action figures, guns and the like and girls are usually often dressed in pink and surrounded by dolls, princesses and fairy tales where they are rescued by the handsome prince.
Having both a son (Ethan, 7) and a daughter (Amber 3) I do my best to try and organically nurture their interests and ambitions as they grow up. This month I am honoured to talk with someone who is an amazing role model and aspirational figure to both my kids.
Dr Michelle Dickinson was formally a Senior Lecturer at The University of Auckland, holds a PhD in Materials Engineering and Biomedical Engineering, and is a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
But more commonly, she’s known to my kids as ‘Nanogirl’.
On a mission to make science more accessible to children, Michelle is the Founder of Nanogirl Labs Ltd (where she goes by her superhero alias), and author of The Kitchen Science Cookbook. Her recipes, such as unicorn noodles and edible earthworms, make teaching my children science far more enjoyable and interactive than it used to be!
Michelle is someone that New Zealand should be extremely proud of, she is on a mission to make science more fun and engaging for the next generation. I therefore decided to sit down with Michelle and ask her a few questions around some of the challenges she’s faced so far in her career.
Here’s what a superhero has to say on adversity.
Remember how far you’ve come
As a starting point, Michelle emphasises how important it is to keep yourself grateful of how far you’ve come.
Speaking to me about her background, she says “Every single day I count my lucky stars that I am where I am today. I could very easily have gone down a different life path.” With uneducated parents, and raised with friends who taught her how to commit crime, Michelle is hyper-aware of how lucky she is to have had positive role models that encouraged her to do more with her life.
Giving herself this context on a daily basis drives Michelle towards her goals. She’s determined to make the most of what she’s been given, and make science accessible to other girls, who like her, may not find it interesting beyond a young age.
Every time she faces a setback, she reflects on her progress to date and finds the motivation to keep pushing forward.
Know that life is full of setbacks
One of the best ways to deal with setbacks is accepting that they are a part of life.
In fact, Michelle takes a positive approach to adversity, and embraces the rich learning that can come from setbacks. “When I reflect on my setbacks I often see that they have actually been the catalyst to me approaching a problem differently. They sometimes end up being my biggest successes in the long run.” Keeping this truth front of mind when a setback occurs has helped Michelle get to where she is today.
We can’t always control what adversity occurs, but we can always control our reaction to it.
Surround yourself with allies
Finally, Michelle advises any aspirational superheroes out there to gather themselves a strong team of allies.
Surround yourself with an amazing group of support people, and “only value the opinions of people who you value.” Michelle goes on to say that many of her closest friends are female scientists and engineers, all who have helped her through adversity and shown her the silver lining in seemingly hopeless situations.
In her opinion, if you’re going on a bold journey, it’s incredibly important to surround yourself with people who are both honest with you, and encouraging.
As my kids engage with science more helped by the inspirational Nanogirl, I encourage you to listen to her words, and support her mission to engage more kids with science (kitchensciencecookbook.com) and get behind another great Kiwi.