It’s a challenge many people face. The elephant in the room in this article though is not acknowledging that affirmative action does often promote people into positions they are not ready for. People in those situations know it deep down and so these impostor feelings are both natural and correct. Rather than telling these people that they feel this way because the institutions they inhabit are unwelcoming, we could acknowledge the affirmative action in play and provide them extra resources to “catch up” — akin to the math catch up courses many colleges offer for those not quite ready for standard first year courses.
Well put. I struggle a lot with these feelings personally.