It's the end of the academic year and we are exhausted. In today's episode, I'm sharing practical advice to prioritize rest over the summer.

Season 5 is here and as we usher in the fifth season of Writing on my Mind, Dr. Yvette Martinez-Vu and Miroslava Chávez-García join us to shed light on the unique challenges faced by first-generation BIPOC students navigating the graduate school application process. Their collaborative effort, "Is Grad School for Me? Navigating the Application Process for First Gen BIPOC Students," serves as a powerful resource guide for those navigating the murky waters of academia. Listen to learn more about the layers of mentorship's impact on the graduate school journey, the authors' personal academic challenges, and their real-life inspiration and actionable guidance.

In this bonus episode, I'm reflecting on three years of the Writing on My Mind podcast. I'm celebrating the wins, sharing the top episodes from the three years and season 4, as well as some free resources to get your year started on the right foot.

Today's episode features Alexandria Miller, fifth year doctoral student at Brown University's Africana Studies Department and host of Strictly Facts: A Guide to Caribbean History and Culture podcast which is a project to promote accessibility of Caribbean history. Alexandria shares her graduate school journey, how she navigated graduate school during the pandemic as well as how she uses her research as a means to stay connect with her community.

It's the beginning of a new academic year and a beginning of a semester check-in is a great way to gain clarity and set yourself up for success. In this episode, I discuss why you may want to conduct a before semester check-in and provide deep dive into the aspects of a before semester check-in which includes reflection, community, wellness, professional development, and celebration. You'll want to grab a paper and pen to jot down your thoughts and ideas.

We're discussing all things first-generation graduate/doctoral students in today's episode. You don't want to miss this conversation with the brilliant Dr. Jason K. Wallace who is in the guest chair. He discusses his experience as a first-generation college student and shares findings related to his research that explores the experiences of first-generation doctoral students.

Dr. Torrie Cropps is in guest chair today and is sharing her graduate school journey. In this episode, she shares how mentorship played an important role in getting to and through graduate school. She also discusses the transition from attending an HBCU to a PWI as well as interesting findings from her research related to the experiences of Black doctoral students in agricultural disciplines.

We've made it to episode 50! And today, I'm sharing some updates, my favorite conversations over the last 50 episodes, and what to expect in the future.

Wellness is a topic that often isn't considered when discussing the graduate school journey. In this week's episode, Dr. Angela Crumdy shares how this lack of connection led her to prioritize wellness and go on to create Grad Girl Wellness.