{"id":3104,"date":"2023-06-21T13:09:12","date_gmt":"2023-06-21T13:09:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.spelman.edu\/honorsprogram\/?page_id=3104"},"modified":"2023-06-22T05:15:54","modified_gmt":"2023-06-22T05:15:54","slug":"aliyah-webster-visualizing-your-future","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.spelman.edu\/honorsprogram\/aliyah-webster-visualizing-your-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Aliyah Webster: Visualizing Your Future"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Knowing the next steps after college can be scary for most college students. Just as choosing where we would experience our undergraduate years, deciding the following academic or career decision can be a time of uncertainty, fear, and insecurity. However, for those planning to go to graduate schools after Spelman, students can develop a better idea of their next steps through graduate preview programs. Today, Aliyah Webster, c\/o 24, discusses her experience and benefits of graduate preview programs, the struggles of an uncertain future, and overcoming comparison insecurities at Spelman.<\/span><\/p>\n

Aliyah Webster, a rising senior biochemistry major from Virginia Beach, VA, recently participated in various graduate school preview programs, including one at Rockefeller University in New York City and one at UPenn in Philadelphia. This opened her eyes to how vital these programs are to choosing the best program for her academic and career goals.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important to go and visit these programs to really visualize yourself there. It\u2019s much easier to do that than just researching it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

With plans to earn her Ph.D. in biomedical sciences after Spelman, learning about these graduate programs for Webster meant trying to find the program that truly fits her desires and aspirations. Graduate preview programs allowed Webster to get hands-on experience of what life as a graduate student at Rockefeller and UPenn would look like. The Rockefeller workshop \u201ctruly immersed us in science and allowed us to engage with some of the lab equipment used to analyze specimens like cells and DNA\u201d and \u201chelped me picture myself even more as a Ph.D. student and get a better idea of what my future academic career may consist of!\u201d Webster found these opportunities through the support of Dr. Kimberly Jackson, the biochemistry department head, who recommended this program to her and another student\u2014demonstrating the importance of building relationships with not only our peers but with our professors. Webster goes more in-depth about her experience, how she was able to encourage herself to seek these opportunities, and how her Spelman sisters could achieve the same.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Q1. How have the skills developed at Spelman, or within the honors program specifically, helped you in the workshop?\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>And what skills or advice from the workshop has bettered your experience in the honors program?<\/strong><\/span>
\nFrom the honors program specifically, I\u2019ve learned to maximize every experience I have, even if it\u2019s unrelated\u00a0<\/span>to my research interest. There is literally something you can gain from every experience. There is nothing to lose by\u00a0<\/span>putting \"\"<\/a>yourself out there and learning more about the world in general. So you might as well do it.<\/span><\/p>\n

From Spelman as a whole, I really appreciate how multifaceted everyone at Spelman is. You really do see it all at Spelman. Coming from a predominantly white high school, I didn\u2019t see a lot of that. Seeing other Black women and other Black students that identified and related with me but were also so serious about their academics and business. Building that confidence in me at Spelman has motivated me to represent and exhibit those qualities everywhere I go.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Q2. Intellectual community is an integral part of our honors program, so how have the Rockefeller Workshop and other outside opportunities enhanced your sense of intellectual community?<\/strong><\/span>
\nI\u2019m really realizing the importance of friendships in general. Rockefeller and UPenn have connected me to other like-minded HBCU students who also want to get their Ph.Ds in biomedical sciences. So attending those programs has expanded my intellectual community and taken it to another level. Spelman has connected me with students in other majors and fields, but these programs allow me to narrow back down to my major and interests, and I\u2019m just so thankful for the community I’ve gained from them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q3. How have you built up the ability to go beyond what the honors program asks you to further your academic career?\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/span>
\nIt’s really from seeing everyone do their thing. I know many people will say that it can be unhealthy, toxic, and you cannot compare yourself to others. I definitely agree, and it is much easier said than done, and I struggle with it every day. But I think it’s a matter of flipping that switch from being intimidated to motivated by what other people are doing. That has not only given me the courage but the confidence because I see my sisters and siblings doing it, and if they can, I can too. That gives me the courage to go out and pursue these opportunities and know that I am capable of pursuing this field, despite it not looking like us right now. That also gives me the courage and motivation to keep going because it is time to diversify these fields and get our feet in the door.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q4. What advice would you give to other honors students on exploring and achieving such amazing opportunities that may require them to go further than expected?<\/strong><\/span>
\nMany of the opportunities I’ve gotten have come from Dr. Kimberly Jackson. Also, Dr. Michelle Hite and Dr. Shanina Sanders have been the main mentors at Spelman that are always sharing opportunities and programs with me. I really think connecting with at least one advisor on a personal level that understands the values that encourage you is so important. Networking is everything. It is not an understatement that it’s really about who you know. Dr. Jackson particularly emphasizes what you know and who you know. She knows and sees that I am able to handle these types of programs and opportunities, and she shares her connections. She hears about these opportunities long before I do, so just talking in her office has helped expose me to these opportunities. So I would advise my fellow sisters to build genuine connections with their professors, check their email regularly, and have the courage and confidence to go out on faith and take risks.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Q5. For my closing question, is there anything else you want to share with your peers and future Spelmanites?<\/strong><\/span>
\nI hope that people take away that experiential learning is the key to making the most out of your college\u00a0<\/span>experience. It’s not until you immerse yourself in the field, whether it’s an internship like I’m doing now or just attending these graduate preview programs. I can read all about Ph.Ds at different schools, but it’s not until you get there, see the people, and feel the environment that you can really visualize yourself there. Doing as much as possible in person can take your college experience to the next level. If anyone is afraid like I was, trust your gut, and you’ll have the reassurance from your mentors that you will be successful no matter what.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Knowing the next steps after college can be scary for most college students. Just as choosing where we would experience our undergraduate years, deciding the following academic or career decision can be a time of uncertainty, fear, and insecurity. However, for those planning to go to graduate schools after Spelman, students can develop a better […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":75,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"yoast_head":"\nAliyah Webster: Visualizing Your Future - Spelman College<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.spelman.edu\/honorsprogram\/aliyah-webster-visualizing-your-future\/\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Aliyah Webster: Visualizing Your Future - Spelman College\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Knowing the next steps after college can be scary for most college students. 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