With the semester wrapping up and the new year on the horizon, the GSTA paused to look back at what made this year meaningful. From conferences and teaching breakthroughs to leadership roles and community building, we found ourselves asking: What moments mattered most? What experiences will we carry forward into the year ahead? In this month’s Corners, we share those highlights and the stories behind them.
The GSTA had a productive year of programming and outreach. In May, we hosted a successful online workshop—Voices in Teaching: Highlighting Pathways to a Career in Teaching Psychology—where graduate students had the chance to hear insights and advice from teaching-stream faculty. At ACT in Minneapolis, we organized two in-person events: a lunch PIE session, Supporting Graduate Student Instructors: Insights from the Graduate Student Teaching Association, and a joint social event with the ECPs. We also analyzed the results of the 2024 Graduate Student Survey to better understand graduate students’ teaching experiences across North America. We welcomed a bunch of new committee members: Ashmita, Mel, Josh, Sherry, & Lindsey who contributed to these initiatives.Thankfully, most of them will be returning next year to provide more exciting online and in-person opportunities for graduate student teachers!
Chair: Alexa Sacchi (they/them), University of Toronto - St.George: This year held several meaningful highlights for me across research, teaching, and service. I had the opportunity to attend the Society for Research in Child Development conference and present at both the Society for Philosophy and Psychology conference and the Annual Conference on Teaching. I’m also in the midst of writing my dissertation and am hopeful to finish in the coming months.
On the teaching side, we celebrated the five-year anniversary of the Summer Psychology Research Initiative at the University of Toronto, which has been a really special milestone. I also completed a certificate course on Teaching in Higher Education and wrote my first teaching philosophy statement—both of which helped me further develop my teaching identity.
A major highlight has been serving as chair of the GSTA this year and working alongside such a dedicated and enthusiastic team of graduate students. And, on a personal note, I’m grateful that this year also brought opportunities to travel to several wonderful places across Canada and the U.S., including Montreal, Ottawa, Muskoka, Minneapolis, Ithaca, and New Jersey.
Associate Chair: Ashmita Mazumder (she/her), University of Toronto - Scarborough: This year was marked by several academic and personal milestones that deserve mentioning. However, one of the biggest highlights for me was being invited to give four guest lectures. It was amazing to step into different classrooms and share topics I’m genuinely passionate about. Getting to see students engage with ideas I care deeply about made the whole experience incredibly energizing. It reinforced my interest in a teaching career, and I left feeling deeply fulfilled and motivated to keep growing as an educator. Another meaningful moment was applying to ACT alongside the GSTA team and finding out we were accepted. Even though I wasn’t able to attend, being part of the GSTA itself has been a remarkable opportunity, one that has connected me with an inspiring community and allowed me to contribute to initiatives that matter. On a more personal level, I attended the wedding of my closest cousin which was both exciting and nostalgic. Reflecting on our moments of girlhood right before the ceremony felt surreal and incredibly meaningful. What a year it has been!
Mel Ceren (she/her), CUNY Graduate Center: I am proud of making mistakes and I made a ton this year. I also "shot my shot" (thanks Noah) with opportunities, not knowing where they would take me. I attended the University of Michigan's Analytics Programming program over the summer and met the most amazing colleagues in their PhD programs across various fields, all while trying to navigate the balance of grad school at my age---shoutout to one of my close friends, TJ. I also had a bad habit of overextending myself, applying to multiple opportunities and having a hard time saying no. But I realized, why apply to multiple things if I can't give the same energy and productivity to all of them? I've stopped automatically saying yes and have focused on my health as a priority. For the new year, I'd like to start getting comfortable with "unfamiliar" habits, because that's where the adventure starts. Cheers to all the graduate students who have made a difference in folks' lives.
Sherry Nguyen (she/her), University of Alabama: One of my major highlights this year was completing data collection for my dissertation and bringing the first two studies close to full draft form. Reaching this stage has given me a clearer sense of the small contribution my project made to the field of social learning and has made the remaining work, though still substantial, feel more focused and achievable. Another important highlight was attending the Society for the Teaching of Psychology conference, where other GSTA fellow members and I co-hosted a roundtable and shared survey data on graduate instructors' and teaching assistants' needs with faculty from multiple institutions. Those discussions broaden my understanding of the institutional and pedagogical supports that faculty can provide GTAs. I was also able to hear how other faculty members navigated teaching and how they balance the workload between service, teaching, and research. These discussions have begun to shape how I think about my own teaching and my role in advocating for more intentional support of graduate instructors.
