This month, we highlight Preparing Future Faculty and Scholars (PFx) program attendee, Mario Orospe Hernandez, a Ph.D. candidate in Religious Studies. In this interview he talks about why it’s important to pursue your passions and the real-world applications of philosophical studies.

For this Funding Spotlight, we spoke to ARCS Foundation recipient Joshua Daymude! This new ASU professor works in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence with a joint appointment in the Biodesign Center for Biocomputing, Security and Society. In this Q&A, he talks about theoretical computing science, learning about algorithms and the importance of support in and outside of academia.

The Graduate Student Town Hall is on 2/7 at 4:30 p.m. on Zoom! We’ll be talking about well-being: how to be comfortable, healthy, and happy. Our panel of ASU professionals will answer your questions at the event. Registration is open thru February 7.

Ford, Boren, and 

With a light switch, candle and three balls of decreasing sizes to represent the sun, the Earth and the moon, N

Was getting my master’s degree worth it?

On an early Sunday morning, Oscar Mancinas sits at his desk working on his next book. For him, writing is a process that can take place over the course of a week, month or even several years.

On Feb.

To commemorate Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Month, three ASU alumni designers collaborated with Los Diablos, the official Latino chapter of ASU Alumni, and ASU communicators to design graphics that reflect the Hispanic and Latinx experience at ASU. 

As we launch into a new academic year and grapple with the return of ‘normal’ campus life, the Graduate College remains committed to helping new graduate students find the resources they need to thrive.

For this fall’s inaugural Grad15 mini-webinar, our Graduate Student Support Resources team focused on a common challenge in academic life — impostor syndrome. 

Across the country, the LGBTQ+ community celebrates Pride Month in June. Officially recognized in 1999 by President Bill Clinton to commemorate the valuable contributions made to the nation by the LGBTQ+ community and its members, Pride Month is when we elevate LGBTQ+ voices, celebrate LGBTQ+ culture and support LGBTQ+ rights. 

“You're in pretty good shape for the shape you are in.” --Dr. Seuss

Our physical health and our mental health are closely intertwined so the health of one affects the health of the other. I use exercise to improve my mental health but it’s not always easy. Sometimes I hate the thought of going to the gym and it’s a struggle to get there because it’s hard work and because it feels like I’m wasting time I should be spending on my work. But when I’ve finished, I always feel better physically and mentally. 

On February 10, 2021, Cindy Lee, an ASU graduate student in the Master of Liberal Studies program focusing on personal essay and narrative nonfiction writing, published her first essay in Transformations,  a joint project of the ASU Narrative Storytelling Initiative and the Los Angeles Review of Books.  In “Am I a Conditional American,” Lee writes about her recent experience as an Asian American living in Scottsdale, Arizona during the COVID-19 epidemic.

 

Joseph Gazing Wolf was born in a place known as Garbage City.

Manshiyat Nasser, Egypt is an industrial area just east of Cairo. The people who live there serve as the informal trash collectors of metropolitan Cairo. 

“We would go pick up the trash and bring it back home,” Wolf explained. “We would build our homes out of trash. Anything that we were able to recycle, we would recycle. Anything we were able to eat, we would use for food.” 

Niveditha Muthukrishnan traveled to ASU all the way from Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu in India to pursue her PhD for three reasons. 

For one, you can’t beat the weather in Arizona. 

“I come from a place that’s extremely hot and I wasn’t ready to shovel snow,” Muthukrishnan laughed. 

The second reason is the diversity of the student and faculty population at ASU. 

In advance of the 2020-21 Outstanding Faculty Mentor Awards, the Graduate College hosted two mentoring sessions designed to help new graduate students develop and make the most of their mentoring relationships. 

Maria Maldonado decided to pursue a career in engineering when she was 17 years old. 

In her home country of Guatemala, this was out of the ordinary for a woman. But, from a young age, it was something her father always encouraged.

“My father wanted me and my sister to be more than home makers,” Maldonado said. “He bought us STEM toys, robots and trucks, and encouraged me to study math. He would even join me when I was studying.” 

While some universities may be closing for winter break, ASU will be filled with programming designed to keep students, families, and the entire ASU community engaged and connected. 

When Mackenzie Mollohan was 14 years old, she joined the Civilian Air Patrol, a non-profit corporation that serves as an official civilian reserve for the United States Air Force.

She’s wanted to be a military pilot ever since. 

Reynaldo Kieser has been serving as an essential worker on several fronts throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. As a teacher and health care worker, he is working to keep people safe while educating others to do the same. Simultaneously, he faces the challenges of being a student and husband during a difficult and uncertain time.  

Nathan Blaes was born into a military family, the son of a Navy Seal. 

Growing up, Blaes and his family moved around a lot due to his father’s job; from California to Arizona and even to Israel. Blaes said that moving so much was difficult for him as a child, but he always looked up to his father and admired his decision to serve.

For Jerome Clark, stories are not just for bedtime. They are tools that can be used to imagine, and eventually help create, a future for the Navajo nation, his nation. 

Clark is a PhD candidate in English Literature at ASU. He studies indigenous literature, focusing on the story traditions of the Diné (aka Navajo) tribe to which he belongs.  

Was your research, coursework or program impacted by COVID-19?  Did you design an innovative way to carry on with your research or studies?  Apply now for a  Knowledge Mobilization Spotlight Grant!

As the coronavirus continues to take a financial toll on ASU students, the Graduate College is happy to announce the relaunch of the Gastwirth Graduate Student Loan Fellowship Program.       

"The already challenging economic pressures on ASU graduate students have increased as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Wentz. “We are thankful to the Gastwirth family for their gift.”