Latinas Advancing STEM Pathways
By Melissa Barrera
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of occupations in the STEM fields — science, technology, engineering, and mathematics —
are expected to grow eight percent by 2029, compared with 3.7 percent for all other occupations. However, while Latinos account for 17 percent of all
occupations, they represent only eight percent of all STEM workers. And although Hispanic or Latinas make up nearly seven percent of the workforce, they
represent just under two percent of all STEM workers nationwide, according to the Census.
Alexandra Ibanez, Site Operations Director at Merck Research Labs and Ana Elena Marziano, Corporate Purchasing Officer at Procter & Gamble share their
journey to a STEM career and encourage the next generation of Latina leaders to explore STEM fields.
As a child, Alexandra Ibanez, Site
Operations Director, Merck Research
Labs in Cambridge, MA, saw
Alexandra Ibanez
Site Operations Director
Merck Research Labs
first-hand the good that could come from a
STEM career. Her father worked for the U.N. as
part of the World Health Organization; seeing
him involved in trying to make a difference in
the health of Latin Americans greatly influenced
her decision to pursue a career in science. Even at an early age, her motive was
always to help others through science. She believes this is a result of the Latino
values deeply ingrained in her by her family.
At the beginning of her career, she worked in infectious diseases and
neuroscience, and after a few years, she transitioned into the business side of
research, which she feels was a natural evolution for her.
“Working for a pharmaceutical, your mind is really focused on the patient,
and no matter what area you’re working in, you’re still supporting the overall
goal, which is to help the patient,” she shares.
Ibanez was an integral part of getting Merck’s Cambridge discovery
site up and running, which she counts as one of her most outstanding
achievements to date, but she doesn’t take full credit. She believes it takes a
team, which is one of the best parts of working in her position.
For Ibanez “Sharing the knowledge, working together with a diverse
population to make sure that all points of view are being considered, and
helping the scientists focus on the science,” are
the most fulfilling parts of working with her
team. Her goal is to ensure that her group is as
diverse as it can be, which to her means more
than just including others based on their gender
or ethnic background.
“It’s diversity of thought,” she shares. “We
think about innovation, about doing things
differently, about thinking outside of the box. How can you do that if you don’t
have diversity of thought?”
Ibanez is active in being a role model for the next generation. She wants to
do her part to make sure the number of Latinas in STEM fields increases, and
once they do, they won’t have to go through some of the challenges that she has
gone through and will feel comfortable with where they’re going. She encourages
Latinas to plan where they want to go, and if that plan doesn’t work, continue
planning.
A trusted D&I leader, she has held positions of increasing responsibility within
the Merck Hispanos Organization (MHO) including MHO-Rahway, NJ Chapter
Lead; Treasurer; and Talent Management. She is currently the MHO Global Lead
and serves as a member of the Merck EBRG Council. As the MHO Global
Lead, she guides MHO to be the premier professional organization dedicated to
enabling its Hispano-Latino members and allies to enhance their professional
development by supporting Merck’s business insights and community outreach.
30 www.latinastyle.com LATINAStyle V ol. 27, No. 4, 2021