September 3rd began the fall semester at University of Rhode Island. For new graduate students, this day was long anticipated. It was the first time they sat in a classroom with their peers to discuss articles and theories foundational to the rest of their academic careers. For other, perhaps more weathered students, this day was a reminder of what they have been working toward for years. They rolled up their sleeves for that final push on a lab project, a book of poems, a final chapter.
When I asked graduate students at URI what they’re looking forward to this semester, the answers included completing Master’s thesis projects and final research papers, publishing new writing in academic and creative journals, working on arts projects for the community, and putting the final touches on a novel long in development. The work that graduate students do spans years, involving professors, colleagues, and mentors. Their dedication to study impacts their families and friends, but their lasting influences ripple much greater into their communities: local, regional, and international.
When I asked these students what their apprehensions were for this semester, the difficulties they faced didn’t stop at their academic work or comprehensive exams. Funding cuts. Visa concerns. Access to necessary healthcare. Guilt, anxiety, depression, and fear caused by the news. AI seizing jobs. The decline of critical thinking. Limited and diminishing affordable housing and means for transportation due to bus route elimination and ever-increasing gas, grocery, and utility costs. One student said she wondered what her place was in all of it. I think many students can relate.
As a second-year Ph.D. student, I am finding it increasingly difficult to justify my presence at the university. Jobs in academia are becoming fewer and farther between. The weight of this knowledge rests heavily on graduate students from their first semester in the door. There is no promise of work for us, even after 5+ years of research, publication, and networking. So, why do it? The only answer I’ve found for myself is this: How couldn’t I? My research is disability studies, specifically blindness, and poetry. I’ve discussed blindness from a new perspective with people in every kind of job and stage of life due to this work. My friends study coral and the gut, hiring processes and memory. They are the cornerstone of a collective happier and healthier future. Graduate students build the buzzing backbone of education that universities require to grow and thrive. We do our work because we have passion for potential, for all our future could hold.