My approach to graduate student advising emphasizes support of the whole student and their individual needs and interests. Fostering community and understanding begin with the willingness to listen and learn from one another, and I view mentoring graduate students along a similar line of thought. I see my role as one that helps to guide students along the path of graduate studies, both in the exploration of specific research interests and in how to navigate expectations to complete their degrees. I emphasize organization and scaffolding of tasks to make the process from coursework to comprehensive exams to thesis or project manageable while still maintaining a work-life balance. Finally, my focus is to assist you to develop the project that you take interest in and support you in bringing that into fruition. Part of the beauty of research is exploring topics that push our understanding of fields, concepts, and perspectives in directions that compel us to reflect and learn.
I view my responsibilities and commitments as a mentor as follows:
- To communicate with you the necessary steps to complete the program.
- To support you in finding sources and resources for a given project or topic.
- To assist you as you navigate graduate student training and responsibilities.
- To provide meaningful and timely feedback on your writing, reading list, and other writing.
- To advocate for your needs and concerns when necessary.
- To assist you in connecting with other faculty across campus and colleagues in fields and at institutions outside of CU Boulder and German studies.
- To listen to your concerns and brainstorm possible strategies when requested.
- To provide guidance on the career and path that you define for yourself.
- To encourage you when you feel stuck and celebrate you when you make progress or feel good about your work.
- To respond in a timely way to your emails and other communication.
- To support you as a fellow human with respect to your individual needs and concerns.
What to expect when working with me:
- First Year (Second if abroad in first year): Semester meetings to check in and discuss course planning in the first year (or second, if you have gone abroad).
- Exam Preparation and Writing: Weekly meetings during preparation for exam(s) and oral defenses, as well as during the thesis / project writing period. Timeline is bi-weekly for PhD thesis writing.
- Discussion of deadlines for conference, application, funding, and publication opportunity deadlines.
- Asynchronous communication via Google docs (on drafts) and emails between meetings.
- Constructive feedback on drafts and discussion of writing process, tips, and time management.
What I expect from you when working with me:
- Open and honest communication of concerns, goals, pitfalls, and struggles---I am here to support you how I can and put you in touch with resources. However, I am not a mind reader and don鈥檛 like to assume what someone needs. Therefore, I rely on you to communicate your needs and concerns so that I can better support you.
- Willingness to take constructive criticism on drafts and work together with me on thesis / project drafts.
- Respectful and considerate communication with others in the department, be they undergraduate, fellow graduate students, faculty or staff.
- Openness to develop new strategies and skills. As Kyla Wazana Tompkins writes, 鈥淲e鈥檙e not here to learn what we already know.鈥�
- Willingness to dedicate time to research and writing, as well as being open to learning strategies to use your dedicated time for research more efficiently.
- An interest in fostering community with others, whether they鈥檙e in the department, on campus, or somewhere else in the world.