Graduate Life Fellows ready to welcome graduate students to UNC Charlotte

Graduate Life Fellows ready to welcome graduate students to UNC Charlotte
Wednesday, August 4, 2021

The seven graduate students appointed by the Center for Graduate Life to serve as this year’s Graduate Life Fellows are a unique group of individuals. They come from diverse backgrounds and academic disciplines. Most importantly, they share a passion for UNC Charlotte and are excited to welcome new and returning graduate students to campus, in-person, for the 2021-22 academic year. Get to know these researchers, graduate leaders, peer mentors and activity coordinators.

Why UNC Charlotte?

“I chose UNC Charlotte for my undergraduate studies because I knew that the Belk College of Business is one of the best business programs in the state. Once I was on campus and attending school, I got a feel for how energetic and uplifting the community is, and I knew I had to stick around for a few more years and attend graduate school.”

Kaylah Jenkins, third-year master’s student in health administration

 “I had three main reasons for choosing UNC Charlotte. First, the Mechanical Engineering Department offers great coursework and has several highly equipped labs. Second, I wanted to continue my work in the control and dynamics field of research and found that one of the faculty advisors in motorsports is working on autonomous vehicle control in traffic network. I applied for an open position in his lab and got in. Third, Charlotte is a huge and affordable metropolitan city with great weather, making it a perfect place to live.”

Pouria Karimi, a third-year Ph.D. student in mechanical engineering

“Charlotte is one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States, which is why I chose to do my MBA here. Not only are there excellent companies that serve fields such as banking and IT, but job opportunities are endless, and the sky's the limit if one chooses to pursue their education at UNC Charlotte.”

Tanya Wasson, a master’s student in business administration

What advice do you have for new graduate students?

“A few years down the line, you may forget the courses but not your peers. Keep making connections with peers and professors, even if your work isn't related to them. Also, department seminars and coffee hours are underrated. There are people willing to always have a chat with you outside the class and the office.”

Sayantan Datta, a fourth-year Ph.D. student in computer science

 “Build relationships with your graduate community. There are other colleagues of yours [who] will be able to open up opportunities for you and help you grow professionally, along with supportive faculty and University staff. Also, read the ‘Grad Life Weekly’ email. There are so many resources and programs for graduate students to help us balance work and life while also providing professional development opportunities.”

Erin Lewis, a fourth-year Ph.D. student in curriculum and instruction