While they both possess a wealth of ancestral knowledge about mushrooms, Lis and Juli hope to distinguish themselves within academia. But there is no tension between homeopathy and science here. Instead, the women understand that by enmeshing themselves in a "legitimate" field of study, they can better achieve recognition for the strides their communities have consistently made in the study of mycology.
Institutions want to be recognized for the great work they're doing. What [the recognition] would say to the public, to the students, to our community, is that we don't just enroll a certain percentage of students. We also produce successful outcomes for those students.