Loren Amelunke

Latasha Kelly speaks on imposter syndrome while visiting Wichita State University. Kelly showed a video of Michelle Obama, who said that she has often asked herself whether she was good enough to be first lady.

Founder and CEO of Millennial Black Professor Latasha Kelly admitted that she sometimes doubts herself in certain professional environments. 

Kelly led a workshop on imposter syndrome hosted by Wichita State University’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

Imposter syndrome involves struggling to internalize your own success, stemming from feelings of inadequacy in certain environments despite all of your accomplishments.

Kelly discussed normalizing recurring imposter syndrome and gave advice on how to navigate it when self-doubt rolls in. 

“It’s about having an understanding of what you’re experiencing so that you can feel your feelings, process the thoughts and then move forward,” Kelly said. 

Kelly showed a video of Michelle Obama, who said that she has often asked herself whether she was good enough to be first lady. She also admitted she has sometimes felt underqualified in certain professional environments, even with her years of extensive education and background. 

As an adjunct associate professor at the University of Maryland Global Campus, Kelly works to coach non-traditional students, as well as doctoral students for success. Last summer, she taught at Wichita State and led ACT workshops for high school students in the Upward Bound Math and Science program.

She discussed how common it is for someone to diminish themselves due to a small voice in their heads; for example, to “tone down” their confidence — and this insecurity was brought on by someone’s past comment. 

“A lot of times, people will equate confidence with arrogance to keep you from shining,” Kelly said. 

Kelly discussed experiences that can lead to imposter syndrome, such as growing up with parents who have high expectations and are difficult to please. 

She explained that imposter syndrome is only in your head, and laid out a framework to reprocess your brain: identify internal myths that lead to self-doubt and replace them with the facts, such as your education and expertise. 

Kelly’s work as Millennial Black Professor is to encourage those she instructs in classes and workshops to feel like they belong in their environment. 

“We have enough other stuff going on in life that makes us resilient — feeling like we don’t belong doesn’t need to be one of them,” she said.