Advocating through graduate school
Advocacy may not be taught in graduate school, but it can be learned
It is near the end of the hour and I can hear the ruffling of papers and the zipping of backpacks. A door opens and a hint of the outside air wisps inside – class has ended. An undergraduate student approaches me and asks about being a PhD student. I pull up a chair and a sheet of paper and begin to write down her questions. She is interested in pursuing a PhD but is concerned about potentially toxic work environments, institutionalised prejudice, and lack of allyship. She proceeds to ask, ‘What is one of the biggest things you have learned from graduate school?’
She nervously twiddles her thumbs and I respond, ‘I learned to reach for things I can’t see. I learned to reach for things that aren’t there and help create them.’