MCKENZIE SAUER
VITAL VOICES: A RAW LOOK AT GRADUATE STUDENT PERSPECTIVES
It is hard to believe I graduated from a master’s program months ago and am now a new professional. In a way, I am still mourning the loss of what I thought the end of two years in my graduate program would be. I thought I would say goodbye to friends, mentors, teachers, and especially the students I worked with. I thought I would walk across the stage, and in a sense, walk into a new life after years of hard work in academia. Instead, the world was thrown into isolation, and those long-awaited final moments never came. I know I am one of the lucky ones — I secured a position before the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the country, and I was able to transition into this new role. Even so, this is not how I envisioned the first few months of my job either — I continue to work remotely while attempting to create trusting, authentic relationships with students, learning to navigate a BIG10 school, and beginning a new life in Iowa. As I adjust and begin counting my wins (big and small), I often find myself thinking about colleagues entering their second year of graduate school. I think about how difficult it must be to balance both professional and student worries, while also preparing for a future that seems uncertain in higher education. Students are looking to professionals for answers, professionals are looking to students for innovation, and everyone is looking at themselves with a critical eye. I knew if I was feeling discouraged, I could not imagine what others are feeling. Graduate students are one of the most exploited populations at colleges/universities and in this field. They are overworked, undercompensated, and expected to not question their environment out of fear of being seen as ungrateful for the privilege of education they hold. Too often, graduate students feel voiceless. This piece aims to provide space for graduate students experiencing paths that have never been journeyed before to speak openly and candidly about their emotions, hopes, and fears. I hope current graduate students find something within the following sentiments that resonates, so they feel a little less alone. I hope supervisors read these words and support their graduate students in ways they may have never needed to before. I hope all readers find the following individuals’ abilities to see silver linings in a thunderstorm as poignant and beautiful as I do.
