Deborah Berebichez



Deborah Berebichez is a Mexican physicist, data scientist, TV host, educator and entrepreneur. She was the first Mexican woman to graduate with a PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) in physics from Stanford University.

Interview (2016)

 * I was always very inquisitive and I wanted to ask questions about everything and how nature works and all that. But [my mother] came from this background where women were mostly supposed to get married and have a family and not really have a career, and she told me it would be difficult to get married if I pursued a career in math or science. My teachers were unfortunately not much better. They told me that physics was for geniuses, and...that it was not a very feminine career.


 * [A fellow female student and I] basically confronted the administration and said that we were wondering why there was so few women that graduated from the program and so people started giving us the statistics and we became sort of known for sort of digging in and researching a little more to help women advance. We created the Association for the Advancement of Women in Physics. That's when (one of the professors I interviewed) told me, "Looking at all these stats I realized that we've never had another student from Mexico. If you finish the program you'd become the first one."


 * Physicists tend to train very well to solve problems and to think on your feet. To not be intimidated by the problem.


 * My advice would be to not let anyone tell you or anyone stereotype, tell you that you can't pursue your career and dream in STEM. Really just practice, practice, practice, because that's what will eventually lead to success.