Blk + In Grad School

When Indira finished high school in the U.S. Virgin Islands, she was not planning to attend college and now is an emerging thought leader in brain health disparities across race and ethnicity. She is currently a postdoctoral research scientist at the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City. She earned her Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience from Pennsylvania State University. Her work aims to identify the underlying molecular, structural, and functional neural architecture of disparities in dementia and the sociocultural factors that contribute to these inequalities.⁣

We discussed her journey to graduate school as a Black Caribbean woman, specifically the way she explored different research experiences, which ultimately led her to discovering her interest in cognitive neuroscience. Throughout Indira's story she shed light on the importance of staying open to different opportunities while paying attention to the things that interest you. This advice doesn't just apply to picking and pursuing your graduate degree, Indira was intentional about fostering a community throughout her graduate journey and continues to do so as co-founder of U.N.I.T.Y.

Listen in to learn more about finding your research interest, finding your tribe, and more.

Follow Indira on Instagram and Twitter @indiraturney and Unity on Instagram @unity4bipoc

Most grad students are at home so how do you practice self-advocacy in academia?

We can talk about what to do when shit goes sideways of course, but how do you stand out as a graduate student? How do you stay top of mind for opportunities?

That was the conversation this week with return guest, Irnande of First Gen Rise.

Irnande shares her experiences on how she fosters strong connections, asks for help and landed prestigious internships. Even though her experiences were in person, we tackle the ways to make these connections whether you're meeting on Zoom or RTing someone on #AcademicTwitter. This episode is chock-full of goodies for making a lasting impression, take what you need, leave what you don’t.

Spoiler Alert: Irnande is a great example of exhausting one's resources, from career services, faculty and beyond.

About Irnande: Irnande is the Policy Director of Special Populations at the Mental Health Association of Maryland. Prior to, she served as the Chief of Staff for Maryland State Senator Kathy Klausmeier. Irnande practiced civil litigation as an associate with the Law Office of Derek Challenger. She is admitted to both the Maryland State Bar and Maryland Federal Bar. She founded FirstGenRise to create a platform for first-generation law students, graduates, and attorneys navigating the legal profession. Also,Irnande is the author of “The Rise of a First Gen”which journeys the struggles and successes of a first-generation American determined to rise.

Listen to Irnande's first episode, blkingradschool.com/podcast/50 all about her graduate journey.

Connect with Irnande on IG and Twitter.

Grad School doesn’t usually come with a course on how to navigate all the things that come along with it. These things are often described as the “hidden curriculum” — things you’re just expected to know or somehow learn on your own—or else. Sometimes these topics are addressed briefly during orientation, sometimes it does not. Why does it feel like, sometimes, we’re all we’ve got? And we’re kinda new here, but we ARE here.

So who exactly am I talking about when I say we? The many communities that have come into fruition over the years to serve graduate students beyond graduate school. This week I share the organizations I’m in as well as many that I admire! The many communities that have come into fruition over the years to serve graduate students beyond graduate school. This week I share the organizations I’m in as well as many that I admire!

If you looking for your people within the academic space you might find them in this episode but you have to listen to hear all the goodies!

In this episode I mention a bunch of communities to consider joining. Get the full list at blkingradschool.com/podcast/121

Just two more weeks to join The Scholar Circle until next year! Get more information at blkingradschool.com/jointsc

In this week’s episode I give an overview of Léa’s workshop, ‘Embodying Wellness: Mind, Body and Finding a good therapist.” Swe shares some amazing strategies for not only taking care of yourself mentally and physically—she explores the concept of digital wellness. Listen for a quick recap of all the goodies she shares like writing prompts, inclusive mental healthcare, and strategies for finding a therapist for your needs. But don’t stop there, watch the full 1-hour webinar at blkingradschool.com/podcast/120

This webinar pairs perfectly with my latest resource, The Goal Oriented Scholar. This free workbook that offers a way to set your goals for the new academic semester in a way that will make sure they are REALISTIC! You can download it at blkingradschool.com/goal-oriented

If you are in a research-based graduate program you have almost no structure in most cases. you select your classes, you shape your research agenda, you dictate the pace of your progress in your program besides a few, large spread out milestones (think Master's thesis, qualifying exam, dissertation defense). This in itself can be very overwhelming.

Exercises to help you determine which goals to pursue

Quick and effective time accounting page to make sure you have a full view of all your responsibilities in the coming semester

Resources to help you with the next steps after you’ve figured out your goals

My favorite time management tips + hacks

A podcast playlist all about goal-setting

Profound words from @profgabrielle on Twitter. This episode explores how we as graduate students specifically find ourselves often overextended. I share a laundry list of the mistakes and oversights that occur over the course of a semester that creates a reactive environment instead of one this is reactive.

Need some help with getting yourself organized this semester? Here's a free workbook I put together to help you out. Check it out at blkingradschool.com/goal-oriented

Christin Haynes is an upcoming 4th year doctoral candidate in Family Science and Human Development at Montclair State University. She holds a B.S in Psychology and MSW from Florida A&M University and research focuses on Black mother/daughter relationship, maternal mental health, and coping mechanisms with gendered racism. An avid cook and food lover, she also focuses on empowering Black families to learn family history through intergenerational cooking with her latest product, Delicious Legacy, the first African American recipe binder.

We talk about developing an authentic research agenda with range and flexibility for a variety of careers after completing your graduate degree. Christin shares how she connected her passions, talents, and expertise to her educational training to develop a focus for her doctoral degree. She shares more on how she's using her expertise in creative ways beyond academia and support the Black community.

You can follow Christin @blackfamilyscholar.

Thanks again to our sponsor, Bolden for their support. Use code 'Blk+InGrad20' for 20% off your first order! Get your order today at boldenusa.com

Part Two of Two: If you missed last week's episode, go back and listen.

This week's guest is Dr. Langston Clark, an Assistant Professor at UT-San Antonio. We connected through his group A&T to PhD and Langston been a part of my extended support system ever since. What was supposed to be a typical interview turned into a pretty raw and uncut vent session mixed with lots of sage advice/wisdom from someone who has already been through the process. Listen for a hard dose of reality and of course advice and inspiration to keep pushing.

A little more about Langston: Langston Clark is an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio's College of Education and Human Development. Langston completed his Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) at The University of Texas at Austin. Prior to obtaining his Ph.D., he received his M.A. in Adapted Physical Education from The Ohio State University and a B.S. in Physical Education from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (A&T). Given his experience as an undergraduate at A&T, his research focuses on the training of Black teachers at HBCUs from the perspective of PETE. His other research examines Black history in sports, and the intersection of athletics, race, and education.

**Don't forget**

Show Bolden Skin Care, this week's sponsor, some love. Use code 'BLK+INGRAD20' for 20% their products at boldenusa.com or follow them on Instagram @boldenusa

This week's guest is Dr. Langston Clark, an Assistant Professor at UT-San Antonio. We connected through his group A&T to PhD and Langston been a part of my extended support system ever since. What was supposed to be a typical interview turned into a pretty raw and uncut vent session mixed with lots of sage advice/wisdom from someone who has already been through the process. Listen for a hard dose of reality and of course advice and inspiration to keep pushing.

A little more about Langston: Langston Clark is an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio's College of Education and Human Development. Langston completed his Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) at The University of Texas at Austin. Prior to obtaining his Ph.D., he received his M.A. in Adapted Physical Education from The Ohio State University and a B.S. in Physical Education from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (A&T). Given his experience as an undergraduate at A&T, his research focuses on the training of Black teachers at HBCUs from the perspective of PETE. His other research examines Black history in sports, and the intersection of athletics, race, and education.

**Don't forget**

Show Bolden Skin Care, this week's sponsor, some love. Use code 'BLK+INGRAD20' for 20% their products at boldenusa.com or follow them on Instagram @boldenusa

This week I had the pleasure to chat with Gabriell! She is starting her PhD in the fall, and like so many others incoming graduate students she had to make a lot of decisions while the world is experiencing a pandemics and uprisings.

She reached out to me to and we talked about her thought process as she made plans for starting her PhD in the fall. She shares how she thought through the decisions she had available: continue working and pursue the PhD part-time or go to grad school full-time. We all know finances play a role in our decision-making and even more so when this precarious economic landscape, but Gabriell didn’t let this lead her to the final decision. Listen as she shares some other key factors you may be missing if you are in a similar position.

Follow Gabriell on Instagram @oh_heyitsgg

Thanks to our sponsor Bolden Skin Care! Check out their entire line of science-backed products made specifically with Black and Brown skin in mind! Head to www.boldenusa.com or on instagram @boldenusa

Whew, this academic year was something else. Wrapping up classes, manuscript rejections, manuscript revisions, one hard