Meet Cassia.
Cassia Hakakian Ozeris
I began Voices in STEM at 17, while studying at EIB Paris High School and thinking about my own career choices. I wanted to hear directly from women doing different kinds of work in and around STEM—not just read their job titles.
Why these conversations?
Job titles didn't tell me enough about people's daily work, skills or career decisions. I asked each guest about her field and returned to questions about beginnings, confidence, support, misconceptions and advice.
The women didn't always agree, and that's useful. Their experiences offer different perspectives, not a formula for deciding what anyone should study or do.
What a follow-up can uncover
Sometimes I asked a follow-up question and heard an important distinction.
Victoria Dean: asking about learning
When Victoria Dean described AI-supported feedback on assignments, I asked whether students performed better later. She explained that more comments had not established more learning: the sample was too small for a firm conclusion.
Liza Konnikova: passion alongside doubt
When Liza Konnikova described loving her work, I suggested that she might therefore have avoided self-doubt. She challenged that assumption: enjoying the work didn't stop her from wondering whether she was good enough.
Sabrina Diano: representation at different ranks
I asked Sabrina Diano whether seeing many women in her field had encouraged her. She distinguished career levels: there were many women alongside her as an assistant professor but far fewer full professors. Seeing women in senior roles helped her imagine that future.
Thirty conversations to explore
You can explore all 30 interviews in the Voices directory. The three stories connect ideas from selected conversations.
The guests don't all share the same experiences or advice. The full episodes are the best way to hear those differences.
About the profiles and stories
I conducted the interviews. The written profiles introduce each guest's work, while the stories compare ideas from selected conversations.
The written pages are edited summaries, not word-for-word transcripts. Each guest's profile links to the original episode.
Country connections
Countries shown reflect connections recorded for each guest; they are not nationality labels or a single current residence.
The featured selection is a way into the collection, rather than a representative sample of countries or professions.