Savannah says yes to opportunities on a campus brimming with them. In her five years as a PhD student, she’s built a community of support by attending events, volunteering, and making space for others to find belonging on campus. “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.
Zach’s research and outreach explore how community engagement with music can empower people to develop agency in a collective musical environment. He said this community-engaged work feels like it makes the world a better place. “I’ve really found what I think I might do for the rest of my life, here,” Zach said.
To Catherine, UW–Madison is a place of opportunity. “If there is something you want to see, do, or experience in graduate school, you can,” Catherine said. “Whether that is organizing an entire event so you can compare and contrast career opportunities or to try sailing with Hoofers, you can try almost anything here.”
Zach Lewis created the ACORNS program (Activities for Community OutReach in STEM) to build partnerships between STEM departments at UW–Madison and community centers throughout Dane County. “There are graduate students with a wealth of knowledge who are eager to share their enthusiasm for their field just blocks away from children with intense curiosity about the world around them,” Zach said.
Anna plays a huge role in making graduate school more fun in her department, coming up with a Lab Olympics with games like pin the flagella on the bacteria. Her vision was to create a safe environment where graduate students could connect and be silly. “I believe that collectively, we — academia as a whole — take life too seriously,” Anna said.
Joel’s experiences as a high school science teacher motivated him to pursue a graduate degree. “I felt dissatisfied with my understanding of how people learn and wanted to understand how pedagogical practice can be guided by mechanisms that explain learning processes,” Joel said.
Beatrice volunteers as a coach for the Wisconsin Science Olympiad, where she meets with middle school students to teach them about genetics while fostering their interest in science, technology, engineering, and math. “The students are so smart that it inspires me to continue fostering this interest in STEM for the next generation,” Beatrice said.
When Jessamine couldn’t find an existing program to participate in as a graduate student mentor, she created one. “I think the most important contributions I made towards this program’s success were taking initiative when I saw an unrealized opportunity, and connecting mentors and mentees based on career areas as closely as possible,” Jessamine said.
Ryan has an impressive list of accomplishments as a fifth year PhD student, including a patent and multiple prestigious fellowships. What’s driven him to do all this? “For the most part, I think it’s just because I love what I do,” Ryan said.
PhD student in Clinical Investigation
Paloma overcame many obstacles to get to graduate school. As a PhD student, she stands out for her commitment and drive. “The fact that this opportunity existed, and that I found a mentor who not only was interested in my research topic, but also who encouraged me to become a stronger scientist, and continues to do so, has made it easy to want to excel here,” Paloma said.