Proactive investments in professional development and departmental service are key to a fruitful career and our responsibility in shaping the community in which we want to work and thrive. While pursuing my doctorate, I elected to take a course “The Practice of Teaching in Higher Education” to further my professional development as a teacher and reflect upon and improve my own pedagogical approach.
My investments in professional development and departmental service at Cornell have also included serving as a representative on the Graduate Students Association for the Field of Economics (GSAFE), which serves as a liaison between students and the Economics Department, while trying to improve the student experience. While serving as a GSAFE representative, two of my colleagues and I started a mentorship program to foster departmental community and encourage the transfer of institutional knowledge, matching incoming first year students with a mentor ahead of their arrival, and matching rising second year students with older mentors to help navigate course selection, advising, and the transition to research. I place a great deal of weight on mentorship and will be sure to seek out faculty mentorship as a junior faculty member, to further my professional development in a new context.