Join three Duke Graduate students in a conversation about the ups and downs, ebbs and flows, and ins about outs of being a grad student in 2026. You'll join Ariana DeSouza, Ph.D. student in Earth & and Climate Sciences; Anvita Budhraja, Ph.D. candidate in English; and Ian Redmond, third year student in the School of Law.

What drives them as scholars and professionals? How are they finding and building community at Duke? And how do they see graduate education evolving for the next generation?

These three students share very different perspectives on graduate school, representing the different lives of professional students as well as Ph.D. students in the humanities and STEM. Despite coming from these different worlds, they’ll discover they have much in common, bringing curiosity, insight, and a genuine enthusiasm for their work and for Duke.

Join three Duke experts on student mental health and wellness: Mike Boyce, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Cell Biology; Yan Li, Psy.D., licensed psychologist and Associate Dean of Graduate Programs; and Nancy Zucker, Ph.D., Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, as they discuss the unique stressors that graduate students face today, the psychosocial components of stress and cultural pressures, and how graduate students can support their own well-being through resilience building and community resources at Duke.