In the Fall of 2022, as I was just starting my Self-Designed Interdisciplinary master’s program, I received an e-mail, and it would come to be one of the most important e-mails during my graduate studies. It was addressed to all LAS Graduate students, and it spoke of bringing back a symposium that would be organized by graduate students, for graduate students.
“ The Graduate Student Council is here, it is ready to be carried into the future by any students who are in search of community, creativity, and possibility. Danielle, Monica and I will all be graduating this spring, and we hope that come the Fall 2024 a new group of students take on the rewards and challenges that this organization has to offer. “
I was immediately drawn in, inspired by the notion that I could be a part of making a collaborative, supportive, and creative space with and for my peers. After I quickly responded to the email with my interest my mind started turning, exited at the prospect of meeting other graduate students, overwhelmed in the face of uncertainties like what it would even mean to plan a symposium.
What outweighed them all was knowing no matter what, I was moving myself forward.
The first meeting was in January after returning from winter break. As I entered the room I saw only a few students. I walked down towards the front and sat next to one of the people who I would eventually work with to establish the Graduate Student Council, who would be a co-president with me, and one of my closest friends at DePaul. Her name is Danielle Chat Nickaf.
As we settled in, Dean Tracey LewisElligan and Gerald Cruz started their presentation. By the end of the meeting a small group of us had congregated outside the SAC classroom looking forward to what would come next. In this group, I would meet the other founding member, copresident, and close friend Monica Miranda Velasquez.
Danielle, Monica, and I are all in different programs, with varied interests and goals, but we were brought together by the LAS Graduate Student committee Over the course of the next few months, the three of us along with a number of other students would plan out the 2023 Graduate Student Symposium. With any conference, symposium, or event for...
that matter, a theme or guiding cornerstone must be established. After several discussions together, we decided the 2023 Symposium would focus on putting disciplines in dialogue. As a group of students from individual departments – or myself from a number of departments – we felt that hosting a symposium for our peers and with our peers meant creating a space to develop greater communication between us. By putting disciplines in dialogue, we hoped to enable conversations that not only discussed our interests and the work we’ve produced thus far in our studies, but also how the work we do, guided by disparate tools and philosophies, could be strengthened by one another.
Enter: Fall 2023. With the symposium completed and many of our fellow committee members graduated, Danielle, Monica and I set our sights for the 2024 symposium. With our newfound experience we hoped to make changes that would encourage greater participation from new graduate students and expand the possibilities inherent in the committee. First order of business – become a formally recognized organization at DePaul. In becoming a formal graduate organization, we aimed to get more support from the infrastructure at DePaul.
By having a website to hold resources for fellow grad students, being eligible for grants to receive funding, and the establishment of a graduate student journal rooted in the same philosophy of the yearly conference, a journal made by graduate students for graduate students
Over the course of the school year, we have worked on each of these goals, and most recently we held our 2nd annual LAS Graduate Student Conference. As a continuation of the year prior, the theme for the conference and creative showcase was Disciplines in Action.
We had round tables that discussed the process of writing novels, panels that interrogated how we embody identity in different spaces, and interactive showcases kicked off by a poetry reading, followed up by questions about the work on display that led to divergent conversations with students from multiple programs.
As I reflect on the big picture like the organization, the events and the route it took to get there, it is essential to also mention that what made it truly possible was the coming together of many people, and many moving parts.
Being part of the GSC tested my organizational skills, communications skills, and administration skills. Danielle, Monica, and I came up with systems for organizing documents, meetings and goals, systems we hope to pass down to incoming graduate students, newly interested graduate students, and graduate students years many years from now. But this hope is equally rooted in the desire to see other students take hold of the GSC and transform it into the vision of what they hoped a graduate student community could be.
The Graduate Student Council is here, it is ready to be carried into the future by any students who are in search of community, creativity, and possibility. Danielle, Monica and I will all be graduating this spring, and we hope that come the Fall 2024 a new group of students take on the rewards and challenges that this organization has to offer.
Written by Lexie Gold
Caity is a second-year graduate student of Interdisciplinary Studies, primarily focusing on Philosophy, Sociology, and Political Theory. She is a School Community Organizer with Gale Community Academy in Rogers Park. Through the Egan office's practice of Asset-Based Community Development, Caity is able to bridge theory and praxis by becoming an active member of her own community. Originally from southern Appalachia, Caity has been in Chicago since August 2020.
I particularly enjoy the flexibility of the ISD program. When I started my masters’ journey, I wanted a program that was adaptable to my interests and my life. I was able to easily find classes that encompassed my academic interests and research topics as well as fitting these classes in my busy schedule. The ability to not be limited by requirements and stipulations of other degree programs in other universities (as well as other masters programs in DePaul itself) was a further confirmation to myself that I was taking the right path
Have you engaged in any research projects or independent studies within the ISD program?
Have you been able to effectively integrate multiple disciplines into your coursework and projects?
I have not, but I wish I did! I have worked adjacent to research projects, working with the Egan office as a school community organizer that provided valuable living-learning experience, but not an official independent study. With that being said, the accessibility to starting or receiving funding for independent studies makes doing these things much more feasible than I would have otherwise thought, which is wonderful to see
Absolutely- I have taken courses in Critical Ethnic Studies, Sociology, Philosophy, Women Genders Studies, and International Studies. Much of my interests in political theory overlap in different disciplines, so having the ability to not confine myself to one discipline has given me in-depth perspectives on the academic spectrum.
How would you rate the support and guidance provided by faculty members within the ISD program?
How has the flexibility of the ISD program allowed you to pursue your academic interests or career goals?
I have had a fantastic time working with Professor Poirier the past two years She has been super effective in advising me in the direction I need to go, answering questions about my requirements, as well as other possibilities that are viable options.
I believe ISD has allowed me to achieve my academic goals to the best of its realistic capacities- and by that I mean ISD has allowed me the opportunity to pursue any avenue that I can imagine, with often changing paths and a flexibility to follow those paths.
What suggestions do you have for making the most out of the ISD program?
How has the ISD program helped you develop skills that are applicable across different fields or industries?
Be prepared to adjust accordingly: sometimes, your proposed list of courses will not be possible due to outdated course catalogs, classes not being offered every quarter, or every other year. Lean into courses that pique your interest, even if the actual class itself isn’t what you thought it would be. Learning comes in the most unexpected of ways. I would also suggest getting involved into any campus community that you’re interested in- it can be isolating as a graduate student (especially one in a small program!) and it is work to create a community, but very much rewarding in the end.
Since I do take classes in different disciplines, I’m able to transfer not just my knowledge but my writing style to different subjects. I’ve learned methods of writing from philosophical perspective, sociological perspective, and polishing my auto-theory method as well.
How satisfied are you with your overall experience in the ISD program?
Do you feel prepared for your future academic or career endeavors as a result of your experiences in the ISD program?
I am very satisfied with the ISD program overall- the only thing I wish were different would be engaging more with fellow ISD students!
Absolutely! With this experience, I feel more prepared and overall more confident that I’m capable of handling anything that is thrown at me, now that I have spent two years doing this work.
My most important advice to ISD students would be, “Blue-sky it!” What that means to me is to dream big first. Then, think about your goals, think about what you will need to get there, and then find out what the ISD program can provide for your unique trajectory. Keep those lines of communication open! Talk to your professors, talk to your advisor (me!), establish relationships that can help you build your future.
As I write this year’s Director’s Letter for the spring 2024 issue of Convergence, I’ve been reflecting not just on this past academic year, but on the close of my first three-year term as Director of the Interdisciplinary Self-Designed Program. I am very happy to report that I have been appointed by the Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences to a second three-year term, and I look forward to applying the many lessons I have learned.
One outstanding thing that I have learned over the course of my service thus far is that ISD students make this program what it is. Just in this past year, I have spoken to and corresponded with several ISD students as their plans changed in regard to their coursework, their courseloads, their capstone projects, and even their career trajectories. I admire their creativity and adaptability, but most importantly, I appreciate ISD’s in-built ability to support their willingness to learn and change. This is exactly what makes my job so rewarding: the adaptability of ISD to student needs. This program was created in order to enable students to attain their goals, including the essential and integral process of reassessment, renegotiation, and revision. This is the greatest strength of ISD: flexibility that encourages growth.
I also continue to be impressed by ISD students’ commitment to action. I’ve seen it take many forms this year, including contributing to the creation of DePaul’s new Graduate Student Association, mentoring undergraduate students and elementary school students, presenting academic work to broadly multidisciplinary audiences, and engaging in direct political action both on and off campus. Again, I truly appreciate the ability of ISD to make space for so many different forms of knowledge acquisition, information sharing, relationship building, and social action.
My thanks to all current ISD students, and special thanks to the ISD Advisory Board for these past three years. May the next three bring even more creativity, growth, and action!
With my best wishes to all, Dr. Lisa J.M. Poirier Director, DePaul ISD
Phone: (773) 325 7840
E-mail: cgalla28@depaul.edu
“ The program is helping me develop foundational knowledge related to feminist theories that will hopefully be helpful in my law school journey. I am also working towards having a stronger GPA than my undergraduate career. “
Miranda Sanders, ISD Student
“ I neverfeellikeIhave tofigure out a situation alone,asthere are always people willing tohelp,bigor small.“
James Lundquist, ISD Student
“ I appreciate all the different perks that DePaul has to offer! “
Caity Gallagher, ISD Student
“ I love the flexibility to take the courses that best fit my needs and not be put into a box. “
“ I love being able to enroll in any coursework I want. “
“ I love the diversity of the courses that are offered. “ “ I love the flexibility of the courses that are offered. “
In what ways have you been able to personalize your academic journey within the ISD program, and how has this autonomy impacted your learning experience?
It has allowed me to take the courses I believe our necessary for furthering my education related to my thesis and fully emerge in interdisciplinary methods of study.
I am a high school teacher and the ISD program has allowed me the flexibility to choose the courses that will most impact my teaching. I cannot imagine another program being as helpful!
What advice would you offer to current and prospective ISD students who are seeking to make the most of their interdisciplinary education and experiences?
Commit to your program that you have designed for yourself. Fully immerse yourself in the different learning experiences you will be put in.
Communicate what you need and have a growth mindset!
DePaul’s ISD program is now a proud member of the non-profit international organization AIS, founded in 1979, with over 300 members. AIS promotes the interchange of ideas among scholars and administrators in all of the arts and sciences on intellectual and organizational issues related to furthering integrative studies.
The DePaul Career Center inspires excitement about the future and empowers DePaul students to own and shape their personal and professional journeys.
DePaul offers a number of peer mentoring programs, LGBTQA, and other mentorship programs for first generation students, men of color, women of color, LGBTQ students, etc
The University Center for Writing-based Learning (UCWbL) helps the DePaul University community to support writers and to promote the use of writing in teaching and learning.
University Counseling Service helps remove barriers to learning by providing accessible psychological and psychiatric assessment, etc
This office exists to promote, foster and support a campus environment that is inclusive of people from all sexualities and gender identities.
