From the Workforce back to the Classroom
Can I still keep up? Will I fit in with students who came straight from undergraduate studies? Those questions followed me into my first week back in a classroom after years in the workforce. I remember relearning how to take notes, to study and to say “I don’t understand” out loud.
What changed everything was people. A professor who took the time to walk me through a concept. Classmates who turned study sessions into friendships. Slowly, doubt gave way to confidence, and I realized my years at work had given me patience, perspective and a foundation I did not know I had.
This summer, I turned that foundation into a live AI Resume Analyzer and worked through generative AI coursework. It reminded me why I chose this field: technology is most exciting when it solves real problems for real people.
This fall, I support moving forward. As a Graduate Teaching Assistant, I help students navigate quantitative research design and data analysis. As GPSG Chief Technology Officer, I am working to strengthen the technology that supports graduate student life.
To prospective students: graduate school is more than a degree. Say yes to opportunities beyond the classroom. That is where you find your community, your confidence, and your voice.