By Alexandra Brewer | Arts & Life Writer
Graduate Student Appreciation Week aims to recognize graduate students’ contributions and build community. Held annually at the start of April and part of a national observance, the week included events hosted by the Graduate Student Association and individual departments.
Houston graduate student Alexis Hooker, president of the Graduate Student Association, described her graduate school experience as both challenging and rewarding.
“It is a journey of personal development and fortitude,” Hooker said.
Reflecting further on her journey, Hooker, who also completed her undergraduate degree at Baylor, said returning as a graduate student gave her a new perspective on the university.
“It has been a rewarding experience for me,” Hooker said. “I went here in undergrad, so to come back as a graduate student and see a totally different side of the university has really helped me overall understand how much this university is committed to ensuring that all their students can be successful.”
San Jose, Calif., graduate student Rachael Murdock, current executive vice president of the Graduate Student Association, noted that her experience at Baylor has been defined by building connections across campus.
“It’s been nice to be part of the wider community, like getting involved and meeting people from other departments who are graduate students,” Murdock said. “It’s been a good experience.”
Murdock said graduate students take on a wide range of responsibilities beyond coursework.
“Graduate students can hold many kinds of jobs and responsibilities during their time,” Murdock said. “They’re doing a lot of things that oftentimes are very thankless tasks or just don’t really get recognized by the broader university.”
Hooker emphasized the essential nature of those roles to the Baylor community.
“Graduate students are professors and research assistants,” Hooker said. “We’re writers, sometimes to help our faculty members get things published. We fill in the gaps.”
She added that graduate students exist in a unique position on campus.
“We’re kind of in this weird space of being junior employees of the university,” Hooker said.
Murdock explained that her role as executive vice president focuses on communication and support within the organization, including gathering student feedback. That feedback plays a key role in planning the week.
Hooker said organizing the week’s events typically takes about two months. Events this year included coffee and donuts, a lemonade stand, a crafting event in the Moody Library Makerspace and a family-friendly skating night.
“We try to get a variety of things to help suit different energy levels,” Murdock said.
Hooker said decisions are largely based on student input.
“It’s data-driven,” Hooker said. “Based on things that have been done in the past, and then from what we hear from students.”
Beyond the events themselves, both said the week also serves as an opportunity to increase awareness across campus.
“Sometimes your instructors are students themselves, so extending a little grace there,” Hooker said.
She encouraged students interested in graduate school to ask questions and learn more.
“If you’re curious in the slightest, ask a graduate student,” Hooker said.
