AdaMarie Ambassador: Mia Amasa

Written By Nancy Fallon

A Year with AdaMarie: What I Learned About Imposter Syndrome

According to Google, imposter syndrome is the persistent inability to believe that one’s success is deserved or has been legitimately achieved as a result of one’s own efforts or skills. This feeling occurs when one believes they are undeserving of their achievements, thinking they aren’t as intellectually knowledgeable or capable, regardless of their abilities. As a result, they may feel less confident and experience anxiety. In 2020, The National Cancer Institute found prevalence rates of imposter syndrome as high as 56% to 82% in graduate students, college students, nurses, medical students, and other professions. 

From a young age, I was surrounded by high achievers and competitors. In middle school, my classmates would constantly compare GPAs and test scores making me feel self-conscious about my grades. Whenever I’d get a bad test score, I would be scared my friends would think less of me. I was constantly overworking myself to be a person I didn’t have to be. At just 10 years old, I was experiencing the effects of imposter syndrome and without even knowing what it was.

And now, writing this as a high-school senior - even at a very small all-girls high school - I find I constantly feel like I’m not smart enough. It’s quite normal for me to feel like I don’t fit-in in my classes. Being on an advanced track where my learning capability is challenged and I’m surrounded by very hard working students, I get the feeling like I don’t fit in or my answers in discussions are never as good as theirs. I’ve realized whenever I get recognized for my achievements in school such as my grades or tests, I always find ways to diminish the fact I did good and say “it was easy” or that “it wasn’t a big deal.” My response to these “praises” for my grades and homework, have just been more examples of imposter syndrome, and simply something that I’ve been telling myself without any evidence supporting my claims.

My school is part of a network that integrates four years of college preparatory academics with four years of professional work experience. This year, I was partnered with AdaMarie.  Working at AdaMarie has given me the opportunity to collaborate with different departments within this new and upcoming company and learn about how a company operates.  Fall semester, I worked with the marketing team, where I was able to offer insight and help create social media posts.  Spring semester, I worked with the engineering team, learning about code and how the website runs.  As someone young in the workplace, I sometimes feel overwhelmed.  When working on tasks, I always try to put my best foot forward because I feel like there is a certain expectation to meet.  I often worry that the work I produce isn’t good enough, leading to a lack of confidence in my abilities.  Imposter syndrome following me into first corporate job, as a high school student!

Fortunately, I have a great supervisor who is very understanding and continuously reminds me that everything is a learning experience and it is okay to feel that way.  These feelings are natural in a new work environment.  It’s hard to accept and understand that it’s okay to make mistakes when you’re learning, and not everything has to immediately be perfect.  It now makes me want to live more in the moment when given these opportunities, giving myself the opportunity to absorb and learn rather than panicking that I won’t be good enough from the start.

For those who struggle with imposter syndrome, meditation or journal can be useful techniques for relieving the feelings commonly associated with the syndrome.  I have found that following journal prompts and reflecting helps me understand my feelings and allows me to be proud of my achievements.  It’s a technique I’ve come to use whenever I feel overwhelmed and have too many thoughts I’m not yet comfortable saying out loud.

Imposter syndrome is a common experience that we as individuals can come up against at any period of our lives.  Understanding these feelings and allowing ourselves to accept that they are normal is one step closer to overcoming this obstacle.  Remember, we’re all allowed to feel the things we feel – don’t be afraid to be authentic and kind to yourself.

About Mia

Mia Amasa, an incoming political science major at Fordham University, spent the past year working as an intern within the Business Operations team at AdaMarie assisting with marketing, programming, and sales efforts.

Mia and her supervisor, AdaMarie Business Operations Manager, Nancy Fallon, on her last day at AdaMarie!

Nancy Fallon
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