Academic Service
symBIOsis
In 2020, I co-founded symBIOsis, a graduate student support and mentorship group in the Department of Biology.
The goal of symBIOsis is to improve the PhD student experience by providing resources for navigating graduate life. Among other things, I organized:
- The BioBuddies program, which pairs incoming first years with upper-year mentors
- Mock qualifying exams for second years
- Advising meetings on topics like choosing thesis labs and doing taxes as a grad student
- Social events (happy hours, game nights, movie screenings)
For two years, I was also symBIOsis's Accountability Leader. I managed a team of 5-8 committee members and kept everyone on track for events they'd signed up to lead. I also communicated extensively with department administration and leadership to plan events.
BioReps
The BioReps are elected representatives of their graduate cohort. We act as liasons between the student body and the biology program's directors and administration, and advocate for student issues. We also organize recruitment for prospective graduate students every year.
Initiatives I’ve been part of as a BioRep include:
- Administering surveys on department climate issues
- Advocating for student concerns and organizing department town halls in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic
- Petitioning the department and Dean's office to increase our stipend to a living wage