Graduate school does not necessarily have the rapid-fire classroom deadlines that lead to stress for undergraduate students, but it does have its own severe sources of stress that plague students and serve as barriers to success. These stressors include acute transitions such as starting graduate school, written and oral qualifying exams, the thesis defense, and applying for post-graduate jobs. Longer-term sources of stress include "imposter phenomenon", the relationship with the research advisor, and financial concerns. All of these stressors require long-term preparation and planning to overcome, often with little to no mentoring and support along the way. Students from historically under-represented backgrounds may have an even more stressful path (Fisher et al., 2019) due to a lack of role models and family/friend/cohort connections with people who have successfully navigated graduate training. The presenters will share an overview of two UCR programs, Latinxs and the Environment and Career Mentoring of Underrepresented STEM Students for the Professoriate (CUSP)), which were designed to help ameliorate some of these stressors. Then we will discuss how to implement programs at your campus that include mentorship, training sessions, boot camps, and other interventions. Participants will leave the roundtable with a better understanding of the stresses facing our graduate students, as well as practical ideas for how to prevent or alleviate this stress.

Dr. Dawn Loyola

Dr. Dawn Loyola has extensive experience in graduate student advising and graduate program management at UCR and UCSD. She earned her Ed.D. degree in Higher Education Leadership from Maryville University, Saint Louis, MO in May 2020. She also holds an M.A. in Transpersonal Psychology from Sofia University in Palo Alto, CA, a B.A. in Applied Studies from Brandman University-Chapman University System in Orange, CA, and an A.A. in Psychology from Southwestern Community College in Chula Vista, CA. Her research interests are department climate and graduate student experience and success, specifically for minoritized students and women in STEM. She is a professional member of NACADA, the Global Association for Academic Advising, where she has presented at numerous national and regional conferences and published in the NACADA Journal in 2022. She enjoys nature walks, figure skating, dancing, reading, and spending time with family, friends, and pets.

Dr. Laura McGeehan

Laura is the Director of Academic Preparation, Recruitment & Outreach for the Graduate Division at UC Riverside. She is also a Co-investigator on the UCOP HSI DDI Latinxs and the Environment grant and served as the Executive Administrator for CUSP: Career Mentoring of Underrepresented STEM Students for the Professoriate. Before starting her position in Graduate Division, Laura was a Graduate Student Services Advisor in the Graduate Student Affairs Center in the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at UC Riverside where she was awarded the Outstanding Staff Award by graduate students. Prior to coming to UCR in 2017, Laura was a community college Anthropology instructor in Southern California for 10 years. Laura earned her Ph.D. in Anthropology at Arizona State University, her MS in Anthropology at the University of Oregon, and her BA in Anthropology at the University of South Florida. Laura also has a Graduate Certificate in Academic Advising from NACADA/Kansas State University. Laura's passion is to bring students of all backgrounds to higher education, and to help them succeed and achieve their career goals.

Nikita McWells

Nikita McWells is a Graduate Student Services Advisor for the Entomology and Neuroscience PhD programs at the University of California, Riverside. She has an MBA with a concentration in Leadership and Management from the University of La Verne in Southern California. Her advising focus is on developmental advising and retention efforts.

Kathy Redd

Kathy Redd is the Director of the Enrollment Management Center and Graduate Student Affairs Center in the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at UC Riverside. Kathy spent the last 35 years working in both Undergraduate and Graduate Advising at UCI and UCR. Her current work-life is mostly focused on the UAW contracts for TAs and GSRs. In her spare time she loves to read, hike with her dogs, and serve as the family genealogist.