ASU Black History Month Pop Culture Corner

About eighteen months ago, I set out on a journey walking the islands of the Dodecanese during a sailing trip in Türkiye and Greece with several friends. Along the way, I found winding paths, timeless villages and breathtaking views of sea and sky. That experience got me thinking about how adventure shows up in other parts of life, especially in learning.

Giving a job talk can feel like the most high-stakes presentation of your academic job search. It’s not just a research seminar—it’s your opportunity to demonstrate vision, communication skills, and fit within a department. In a recent Lunch and Learn, faculty members Associate Professor in School of International Letters and Cultures, Anita Huizar-Hernandez, Professor in School of Life Sciences Jeffrey Jensen, and Professor in Department of Physics Patricia Rankin shared concrete strategies to help graduate students and postdocs succeed as future faculty candidates.

Graduate education can be an exhilarating journey — but for many students, it also brings moments of self-doubt and uncertainty. In our recent Mentoring Matters panel, “Mentoring Students Through Impostor Syndrome,” Graduate College Senior Associate Dean Dr. Lisa Anderson sat down with Dr. Rebecca Wachs, Associate Professor in the School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, and Dr.