Building Sisterhood in STEM: Meet Hermanas Escritoras!

If you haven't read the work of Chicana feminist, queer theorist, and cultural scholar Gloria Anzaldúa yet, then you should start with Speaking in Tongues: A Letter to 3rd World Women Writers. In her essay, Anzaldúa writes to her hermanas who had been silenced by oppressive patriarchal ideals, and urges them to write about their experiences. This call to action inspired Hermanas Escritoras founder Anna Peñaloza to take her experiences as an older sister, first-generation student, and mentor, and create a way to help the next generation of writers build collective solidarity. With the support of cofounders Hannah Kwok, Eimy Niño, Jocelyn Torreblanca, Emily Montes, Camille Korbut, and Aylin Andrade, Anna transformed her first-year seminar by the same name into the impactful student-run organization it is today. The organization is women-led, welcomes everyone to join, and empowers all their members to share their authentic selves in their scientific writing. 

Mixing STEM With Self-Expression 

A unique aspect of Hermanas Escritoras is that their meetings and workshops reflect the passions of their members. Anna explained that “workshops come from our interests and ways we are thinking about science, art, writing, and identity. As a community-based organization, we welcome all ideas and forms of leadership.” The organization has created many collaborations based on these ideas, such as a Making and Breaking Bread workshop with the Teaching Kitchen and co-creating the new learning outcomes for first-year composition courses with the Writing Education, Love, and Liberation Group at UCD. Recently, Hermanas Escritoras even took their goal of empowering younger generations into action by working with Marguerite Montgomery Elementary School. They brought fifth graders, their families, and their teachers on a guided tour of the arboretum for a day of learning and nature journaling. 

These workshops and meetings connect the community with scientific writing in a way that emphasizes personal expression. It’s rare to see this philosophy in academia, but Hermanas Escritoras is setting a new standard by blending STEM with personal identity, originality, and compassion. While the organization’s meeting times vary quarter to quarter, their Instagram @hermanasescritoras will always have the latest updates on meeting times. 

Authoring New Possibilities

Hermanas Escritoras has helped members build lasting friendships in a time when academia can feel competitive and isolating. As Anna describes, “Hermanas Escritoras has been a space to challenge white, heteropatriarchal ideologies in science and academic writing; a bridge between science, art, and literacy; a safe space from male-dominated STEM spaces; and a community to share knowledge and uplift each other.” Whether it’s a member creating their own event, presenting at a research conference, or just sharing a new area of interest, in true sisterhood fashion, Hermanas Escritoras celebrates their achievements. 

“We have been writers all along.” These powerful words from Anna encapsulate the core values of Hermanas Escritoras and Gloria Anzaldúa; they show that writing is meant for everyone, and every voice matters. Hermanas Escritoras has more exciting workshops and meetings on the way, and they are sure to help generations of writers bring their identities into their STEM writing.

BIO

Shayna Schreiber is a third-year undergraduate, majoring in communication and minoring in professional writing. She is a Communications Specialist Intern for the Professional Writing Minor, helping students learn about writing-based internships through social media and articles she has written. In her free time, she enjoys playing the electric guitar and embroidery. To see her other work, visit or her LinkedIn profile.