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The Student Engagement and Leadership Center hosted a Graduate Leadership Panel to answer students’ questions on graduate school Wednesday at the Natural Gas Conference Center on Wiggins Drive.
The event took place as part of Leadership Week, a weeklong event to equip students with the resources they need to become an empowered leader.
“It’s really kind of an insight for students who are thinking about graduate school to see if it’s something for them,” explained Jules Flores, UTEP coordinator for Leadership Functions. “For graduate students, it’s an opportunity … to contribute to the conversation and share their experiences so that they can encourage undergraduate students to pursue a graduate program.”
The panel featured three students currently enrolled in different graduate programs at UTEP, including Karen Del Rio, who is pursuing a master’s in leadership studies; Freddy Cabral, a teaching assistant and graduate student pursuing a master’s in history with a borderlands concentration; and Yi-Yu Laio, a member of the Teacher Education Department and a doctoral student pursuing a doctorate in teaching, learning and culture.
The three were each able to answer common questions about graduate school and its different programs while also sharing some of their personal experiences as graduate students along the way. This allowed both undergraduate and graduate students to have a conversation and address some of the barriers and challenges a student may face along the way.
Sophomore Saul Fontes, 19, thought the panel helped him visualize his options for when he graduates, which help him start building out a plan for his career.
“It was interesting to listen to their experiences and it sort of made (graduate school) feel like a more real and tangible option for me,” Fontes said. “A master’s degree is something to be proud of and an accomplishment I would like to have.”
Although the idea of a master’s or doctorate degree is appealing to many, the panel highlighted that it is important to really consider one’s motivation behind it. Members of the panel advised that a person should only attend graduate school if they have a genuine drive to further their knowledge and experience in their field, not just to improve their salary.
The one thing that student Cabral wishes he knew before starting out his program, is the intensity of the workload he would face.
“With undergrad, it’s usually one chapter or one article at a time … it’s really simple,” Cabral said, stressing the importance of mental and emotional preparation before starting school.
“I prepared myself in the summer (before starting graduate school) but it was not enough. Three months of preparation is not going to prepare you for three years of grad school,” Cabral said.
Graduate school is no easy feat; the amount of research to conduct and material to read and review, all while trying to juggle a job, family or a social life can generate extreme stress or burnout.
This is why a strong support system is essential; having someone to lean on, whether it be a friend, family member or an advisor, will make the journey through graduate school more bearable.
The Graduate Leadership Panel was one of the leadership-oriented events provided during Leadership Week. Programs like Leadership Week and UTEP Edge help students achieve their goals and strengthen their skills in preparation for life after graduation.
“A lot of times you won’t get this information in a classroom,” Flores said. “We’re trying to bring these skill sets and experiences so that students can leave with this edge. That way, when they interview for the job, they can talk about ‘I went to this workshop and it taught me x, y and z.’”
Margaret Cataldi may be reached at [email protected]
