PhD student in Environmental Chemistry and Technology
Savannah Finley says yes to opportunities on a campus brimming with them. Some of her fellow graduate students may remember her as a panelist during their New Graduate Student Welcome. Others may recognize her as a longtime attendee of Bridge and Build Community events. In her five years as a PhD student, this enthusiasm for saying yes to both opportunities and challenges has made Savannah a leader.
When Savannah moved to Madison for graduate school, it was her first time in Wisconsin. She did not have an established community here and knew she needed friends and hobbies. She went to an event on campus to connect with others but was disappointed to find she was the only graduate student there. An email from the Graduate School inviting her to an event series now known as Bridge and Build Community opened the door for connection in a space designated for graduate students.
“In my first year, I went to every single event,” Savannah said. “I really did find a community.”
Savannah said that in her first year of graduate school, she felt there was no one at campus events who was like her — a first-generation, female, ethnic minority student in engineering, among other identities. Now, that feeling has turned to one of empowerment, where she hopes her presence can help to welcome others who need to find their community.
“I can show up so people will think, ‘Oh, I’m a first-gen female in engineering too.’ We can bond over that,” Savannah said.
As a student in the Graduate Engineering Research Scholars (GERS) Community, Savannah has also helped trailblaze for future graduate students. She collaborated with the Graduate School and GERS leadership to implement practices that would give GERS students a clearer picture of the research project and support they would receive upon joining a research lab.
She’s also very happy with the network of support she’s built in Madison.
“I’m close with these people,” she said of her network. “I see them and I give them hugs. I feel like I’ve built like a family. I just love the communal aspect of it.”
As Savannah enters the final year of her PhD studies this summer, her academic work also holds the promise of making tomorrow better than today. Her research investigates how geochemical processes control the mobility of trace elements in groundwater and their impacts on water quality.