SUNY ESF Graduate Student Association

Community is so important during the graduate school journey

Many universities have a club or organization for graduate students dedicated to organizing events, workshops, seminars, and fun activities, providing funds for research or travel to professional development opportunities, and hearing graduate student concerns. The institution I attended for my MS degree also had such a group, called the Graduate Student Association (GSA). I decided to get involved during my second year and joined the GSA Senate as a department representative. The position entailed attending biweekly GSA meetings, helping to organize and spread the word about routine social activities for graduate students and faculty within my department (Environmental Biology) to connect, and serving on at least one committee (in my case, the international committee, which focuses on addressing concerns of international students and hosting events engaging the different cultures represented on campus). Moreover, I was part of an advisory committee that serves as a liaison between the GSA and Environmental Biology department, and discusses matters relating to the MS and PhD programs. My primary role there was to provide input during meetings. Overall, joining the leadership of the Graduate Student Association was an incredible opportunity to connect with other graduates as well as faculty, especially given that the first year of my MS program had been virtual due to the coronavirus pandemic. I was able to meet many more people in-person, enjoyed working with the other department representatives, and, above all, loved building community.

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