Taylor Darwin (she/her) is a doctoral candidate in Curriculum and Instruction at Texas Tech University. She is a mathematics instructor at a North Central Texas College, which serves various rural communities. Darwin’s dissertation research is focused on underserved rural STEM teachers’ curriculum development, implementation in the classroom, and impact on teachers’ self-efficacy.

“Look Right, Look Left”

Karen, who recently started her PhD at the University of Leeds, reflects on her experiences adjusting to life in the UK, including the language barrier, slower pace of life, and the complexities of the PhD journey. She shares the struggles of finding her research direction, fighting gender stereotypes in academia, and the fears that come with being an international student.

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Coping with Bereavement During a PhD: Grow Around the Grief

Grief is a lesser-discussed topic in academia, but processing grief due to the loss of a loved one compounds the challenges of doing a PhD. In this thought-provoking article, Kathryn Zacharek shares her experience of navigating a PhD during bereavement, where she took time out, leaned on her support networks, and researched ways to let her life ‘grow around the grief’.

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