RFV local pursues rare academic opportunity

By Vanessa Porras Sol del Valle Editor

One of the research submissions accepted for the 2023 International Convention of Psychological Science (ICPS) in Brussels, Belgium, is being conducted by Ximena Gutierrez, a former Glenwood Springs High School student. Along with her team at Lindenwood University in Saint Charles, Missouri, Gutierrez has been working for the past semester to understand how perceived gender identity influences the perception of a couple in different social contexts.

The research focuses on how samesex couples express their gender and how they are perceived by selected participants. The research that will be presented at ICPS is an extension of previous research relating to how interracial couples’ racial identity and compatibility are perceived.

Perception bias is a tendency people have about a group of individuals or events. Those biases are influenced by subconscious judgments and external factors like heteronormative stereotypes and associations. “What in our society drives us to want to look for a feminine and a masculine [in a relationship]? What drives us as a society to say this race looks best with this race, and this race shouldn’t be able to date someone of the other race?” said Gutierrez.

This research can bring awareness to better understand the reasons behind certain assumptions, which can improve the interactions of those who are most affected by them. These correlations are intrinsically linked to the way people make connections with others, whether it’s a friendship, a romantic relationship or a networking opportunity.

As a Latina and a member of the LGBTQ community, Guitierrez knows firsthand what it’s like to walk into a job interview and wonder whether her perceived identity, based on the clothes she’s wearing, will affect her chances of being hired. “If we’re aware of that, we can change [it] and treat people with more respect and equality than we are [doing] now,” said Gutierrez.

Along with their acceptance to ICPS, Gutierrez and her team are preparing to present their research at the Midwestern Psychological Association (MPA) in Chicago on April 20, 2023. The acceptance to ICPS and MPA have been pivotal in Gutierrez’ academic trajectory. She is now looking to further her undergraduate education and apply to a graduate program where she can focus on women’s health research.

Gutierrez recalls a time of uncertainty as a high school student when she considered pursuing a bachelor’s degree. In that pursuit, she experienced pushback from her family who questioned whether she really needed it. “Having this huge opportunity to be able to present the research that I have been nurturing for the last semester for an international audience… That only makes me want to pursue education even more,” said Gutierrez.

Last semester Gutierrez transferred from Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne, Wyoming, where she was playing basketball on an athletic scholarship, to Lindenwood University, where she traded the wooden floors of a gym for the field. Once again, Gutierrez was awarded an athletic scholarship to play for the Lindenwood rugby team, ranking first in women’s Division I college.

“I was like a featherless bird the first two months,” said Gutierrez. She showed up to Lindenwood as a senior transfer student, having played three years of basketball after not having touched a rugby ball in four years. “They would say things like, ‘ruck and scrum,’ and I had no idea what that was,” she said laughing. Eventually, she learned all the terminology and soon started as a lock and main jumper.

In her accumulation of academic and athletic successes, Gutierrez was candid and admitted that her parents often didn’t know how to praise her work because they didn’t know it was an accomplishment. She reminisced, “They’ll say, ‘Ok mija, I’m so happy for you, but what does that mean?’ It makes me so happy to be able to share this, especially coming from the background that I come from.”

As a Hispanic, first-generation, Roaring Fork PreCollegiate alumna, and as someone who didn’t think they would get an education or the necessary funding, Gutierrez emphasized the importance of seeking help. “[By] asking for help, we can accomplish the things that we want to do. I had to ask for a lot of help; financially, emotionally, from my team, my coaches, especially Rhonda Moser who [encouraged] me pursuing my education… The PreCollegiate program was that mentor that I didn’t have in my parents.”

For Gutierrez, ICPS is an important opportunity to share her research on an international scale, reaching across cultures and advancing research in the United States. However, this opportunity comes at a financial cost. Gutirrez is seeking donations to fund her participation at ICPS in order to continue her career in psychological research and have the opportunity to be integrated into the international research community. For more information on how you can contribute to Gutierrez’ fund, you can email ximenagutierrez12@yahoo.com

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