Service and Advocacy

My graduate research on social inequality — and how inequitable institutional policies and practices can then shape social norms and climates — underpins much of my service work. In my past 5 years of departmental and University service (first as a graduate representative to the Psychology DGS, then as GSG Academic Affairs Chair, then as GSG Vice President, and finally as GSG President), I’ve worked on initiatives in the following areas:

• Graduate labor issues and inequity (e.g., reforming inequitable and unsustainable teaching loads; ensuring that grad students aren’t pressured into resuming in-person duties in which they feel unsafe or uncomfortable during the COVID pandemic)

• Physical and mental health and wellness (e.g., expanding medical insurance coverage to grad students on medical leave; allowing off-campus grad students to opt-in to the COVID testing protocol; developing programming for Graduate Mental Health Month)

• Diversity and inclusion (e.g., organizing and serving on panels for prospective and current underrepresented students; supporting student-led initiatives within departments to increase access in the admission process and to document patterns of bias and representation within departments and sub-areas)

• Fostering community (e.g., creating and moderating the GSG Global Slack, which hosts 2100+ graduate students members; supporting the peer buddy program for 1st year grad students; supporting weekly GSG happy hours; assisting with graduate student Orientation)

I’m committed to working on all of these issues (and more) to ensure that our university’s policies and practices are better, more equitable, and more transparent for all our graduate students. I am always happy to meet with graduate students to discuss their suggestions or concerns as members of the graduate student body. Students can e-mail me or message me on the GSG Global Slack to set up a time to meet.