When Cal State Fullerton assistant nursing professor Angela Sojobi was completing her education, she was the only black midwife student in her program. The lack of peers that looked like her brought on feelings of insecurity and impostor syndrome. Out of her experience, Sojobi vowed that when she had the opportunity, she would provide Black, Indigenous, and people of color students the mentoring and sense of belonging she wished she’d had.

The result of Sojobi’s vision is CSUF’s Midwifery Mentoring and Belonging Program, a program for Titan BIPOC graduate students in the university’s midwifery program that supports their training by pairing them with BIPOC-certified nurse midwives from the local community.

The second program of its kind in California, and the first within the CSU system, the Midwifery Mentoring and Belonging Program got its start at UC San Francisco in 2019. After observing the program’s positive outcomes, Sojobi contacted UCSF, and the two universities applied for a joint grant, which brought the program to Orange County and the Titan community.

“It stemmed from feeling lost and not really having people with my experience that look like me or have the same background that I have in my profession,” Sojobi said. “I wanted to give BIPOC students the opportunity to have someone to mentor them and feel that sense of belonging.”

In its first semester at CSUF, four graduate midwife students have been paired with BIPOC mentor midwives from the surrounding area, providing encouragement and support as they prepare to enter the workforce.

With midwifery a predominantly Caucasian profession, Titan graduate student Umara Chaudhry sees CSUF’s Midwifery Mentoring and Belonging Program as a way to attract a more diverse pool of providers to serve the needs of a diverse and changing patient population, including South Asian and Muslim representation.

“It has been extremely enriching connecting with midwives and aspiring midwives from BIPOC backgrounds with whom I share similar values and life experiences,” Chaudhry said. “My own mentor has been a grounding force for me and a great resource in the vast world of midwifery. It is a source of strength knowing that, as a minority, I have someone who is committed to my success in the profession.”

Sojobi acknowledged that with lower numbers of BIPOC health care workers, including midwives, there are inherent issues in caring for BIPOC patients. She sees the Midwifery Mentoring and Belonging Program as a way to begin to tackle that inequity.

“In order for us to turn out more BIPOC health care providers, we have to open our doors to more BIPOC students and then do everything in our power to help them succeed in that role,” Sojobi said.

CSUF graduate student and program participant Evelyn Arias was invited by her mentor to join a Latin American group of midwives who reside in the U.S. The exposure to midwives from all over the country, including Puerto Rico, has been empowering to her in her educational journey.

“It’s awesome to hear what experiences they are facing, good and bad,” Arias said. “My mentor has also shared with me new ideas and tricks that I have never heard before that will benefit me in my practice. It’s been a great experience so far, and I would encourage offering this group to future nurse practitioners and midwives.”

In addition to the impact the Midwifery Mentoring and Belonging Program is having on Titan graduate students, the program strongly aligns with the university’s efforts around diversity, equity and inclusion.

“As educators, we need to be apprised that there is a social determinant of how that really can affect birthing families,” said CSUF assistant nursing professor Kristina Fortes. “With this type of program, it brings more awareness … and brings more of those BIPOC students into the profession.”

Sojobi, Fortes, and program coordinator Elena Ramirez are looking forward to seeing the CSUF program grow in upcoming semesters through more mentorship pairings. In the bigger picture, Sojobi would like to see a program like this at all campuses that offer midwifery studies and training, and that every BIPOC student would have a mentor. This type of support not only empowers the students but, in turn, will benefit the community as patients feel more connected to their caregivers, she said.

“That’s part of what this is all about,” Sojobi said. “Encourage more BIPOC students to enroll in the program and make them feel welcome and that they belong by introducing them to other people who look like them and have been through it, to validate that they do belong here and can succeed. My ultimate goal is to walk into a hospital and see that the staff represents the community … to have a diverse workforce where everyone feels like they belong and everyone feels well taken care of.”

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