Author Archives: Katie Kearns

Graduate School as a Hero’s Journey

[Image of Moana from the 2016 Disney movie, Moana] “What all myths have to deal with is transformations of consciousness. You have been thinking one way, you now have to think a different way. Consciousness is transformed either by the trials themselves or by illuminating revelations. Trials and revelations are what it’s all about.” -JosephContinue reading “Graduate School as a Hero’s Journey”

What’s love got to do with academia?

“Love is the will to extend one’s self for the purpose of nurturing one’s own or another’s spiritual growth.” In All about Love, bell hooks “Graduate school should be hard,” a faculty member said bluntly in the summer of 2020 during a meeting of an ad hoc committee I participated in on graduate student mentalContinue reading “What’s love got to do with academia?”

I think about grad student wellbeing. A lot.

Image: several people with cupped hands holding a small plant in dirt. Graduate students: I want to speak with you directly in this blog about your holistic wellbeing during your studies. Graduate school IS really, really hard with substantial intellectual hurdles. There are also mysterious bureaucratic labyrinths and opaque professional development expectations (see Dr. JessicaContinue reading “I think about grad student wellbeing. A lot.”

“Introduce yourself, Katie,” WordPress said…

Image: Diana the Huntress. Guillaum Seignac (1870-1924) Look at people’s profiles on their professional websites and social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Notice how they describe themselves. What kinds of details do people share publicly with you? Many times it will be a description of what they do: the economic contribution they make,Continue reading ““Introduce yourself, Katie,” WordPress said…”