Cristinne Seixas
BIO
I’m studying for a master’s in physics education and I have a 4-year-old son. I’m passionate about teaching physics and I’m also a self-taught musician.
Instagram: @cristinnes_
Instagram: @fisicanacabeca_
CRISTINNE SEIXAS
“I’ve had to juggle research, teaching, classes, a second job, and my son.”
My scimom journey started to get complicated at age 20 during my sophomore year of my undergraduate physics degree. I got pregnant, and my life started to change.
The beginning of the pregnancy was very difficult because of the nausea and intense headaches, but also because I had to deal with people judging me for getting pregnant “very young”. So I had to leave home, and I got “married” when I was 7 months pregnant. When I had my baby, I had to juggle college and maternity... I spent about 2 years living on 400 Reais (100 US$), which was the stipend of my scholarship.
In the meantime, I got separated and had to move back in with my mother to be able to finish my studies. As a single mom, I had to reduce the number of subjects in college to be able to cope, and I remember how hard that was. During my last year of my undergrad, I started working as a musician to have extra income to support my child, and then I started teaching physics. Now, I’m doing a master’s in physics education, which has always been my passion.
Over the past two years, I’ve had to juggle research, teaching, classes, a second job, and my son. My master's degree doesn’t give me any financial return, so I have to work to support my son, and sometimes I have to perform on weekends to pay the rent.
Last year, I started having panic attacks and was diagnosed with depression, anxiety and panic disorder. Sometimes I wake up without any strength, after being for so long overloaded my body began to send signals for help.