Thriving in Community
There are so many messages that tell us that community isn’t the way to go if you want to be successful. In a capitalistic society such as the United States, individuality is praised and often times rewarded. The very nature of graduate programs is counter to community. Competition in the classroom, competition with the job search process, and even competition in the workplace really challenges the ability to cultivate community but I hope to encourage you to push back on competition and run towards community.
So what is community?
I did a search on ChatGPT and came up with the following definition for community,
“Community refers to a group of people who live in the same area or have a common interest and interact with each other regularly. It can be defined by geography, shared values, culture, or a combination of these factors. The members of a community come together to support each other, work toward common goals, and create a sense of belonging and social connectedness. Communities can take many forms, including neighborhoods, towns, cities, religious groups, interest groups, and online communities.
Why is community important?
The Urban Institute has reported that 26% of graduate students who start graduate school never finish. Furthermore, 50% of doctoral students never finish their programs. Now, these statistics could be for a number of reasons which I’ll get into in a little bit but these stats keeps me up at night and is the reason why I do what I do.
Graduate school is extremely challenging and demanding. Some of the work that I do to support women of color graduate students reveal that there are some unique challenges for this group include, but are not limited to, systemic racism, sexism, lack of representation and support, financial difficulties, and mental health challenges. Studies have shown that women of color in graduate school experience higher levels of stress, burnout, and mental health challenges compared to their peers. When I talk to women who persisted in graduate school, community always comes up as something that helped them to overcome the challenges that they faced. I truly believe that by building and nurturing a sense of community, you can not only survive but also thrive in graduate school and beyond.
Benefits of Community
Let’s talk about the commonalities observed when it relates to community based on the graduate students that I coach and the graduate students that I interview on my podcast, Writing on My Mind, which supports women of color graduate students and help them to level up.
Community offered support. Graduate school can be isolating particularly for underrepresented groups like international students, women, gender nonconforming, neurodivergent, and students of color to name a few. Being part of a supportive community can help provide the encouragement needed to persist and succeed. In this case, many graduate students that I work with or interview on my podcast talk about being first generation college students and their parents and family members, friends, and other classmates being that support for them through challenges related to loss of relationships, loved ones, and health challenges. They talked about wanting to give up at times and much like my experience, the community encouraged them to push through, was a safe space to vent, and a space where they received advice or a break from the pressures associated with their academic programs.
Community offered a sense of belonging. This is sort of related to the previous bullet point but a little different. The previous one is about getting what you need while this one is feeling like a part of something. Community can provide a sense of belonging and a space where you can connect with others who share similar experiences and cultural backgrounds especially within your academic program. This can help foster a positive self-identity and reduce feelings of loneliness or isolation.
Community offered career opportunities by way of networking. It is estimated that seventy percent of jobs are not posted or advertised. Instead these opportunities are shared by way of referrals or established networks. This phenomenon is often referred to as the hidden job market. Some of the graduate students I work with, shared that they didn’t realize the value of networking and wished they did more of it while also focusing on their classes. Others talked about how networking helped them to secure coveted internships, jobs, and other opportunities that they wouldn’t have otherwise known about. When you’re looking for a new opportunity, let your network know so that they can help you. After all, your community wants to see you succeed. By the way, I explore this topic more in my ebook, Taking Charge: A Career Guide for Graduate Students.
Community offered mentorship. There is a common misconception that mentorship can only occur from an older person to a younger person. However, your community can be made up of mentors who are seasoned professionals as well as peer mentors who folks here in this virtual space. Research shows that mentorship improves communication, confidence, the trajectory of careers and a host of other things. Build your community for mentorship by getting involved, connecting with your faculty, and attending conferences. While there, attend presentations and events, introduce yourself to others but be strategic. Knowing the goals before stepping into the networking environment, really helps you to focus your energy on getting those out of the way so that you can enjoy the rest of your time at the event.
Those are just a few ways that community can benefit you. Are there other ways that you have benefitted from community?
