FAMILY + FRIENDS!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR UNWAVERING SUPPORT AND LOVE OVER THE WEEKEND. SO FAR 30+ STUDENTS HAVE BEEN SPONSORED! HOW AMAZING 😭
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for pouring into my vision. I am so very grateful! There’s still time! Scroll to the bottom to donate :)
Special Thanks to Megan King of Royal Luxe Events for putting together such an amazing event!
Here’s what I’ve done so far.
I’ve been recording my podcast, Blk+ In Grad School since Fall 2017. On the podcast, I chronicle my experience pursuing my joint Ph.D. in Civil Engineering and Engineering and Public Policy.
This experience stands out because like many women + POC graduate students, I am the only African-American woman in both of my programs. Prior to releasing Blk + in Grad School, there weren’t any podcasts tailored specifically to the Black graduate experience. This immense need has led to:
16,000 downloads of the 60 episodes released
A spot in the Apple Podcast’s top 100 Higher Education podcasts
Two free e-mail courses for graduate students, Grad School Ready and The Balanced Scholar
Won a podcast pitch contest, landing a slot on a podcast network with the largest audio company in the U.S.
Hosted a virtual summit reaching 100+ current and prospective grad students of color.
Ambassador for Black-woman owned bookbag manufacturer MinkeeBlue
This year I am hoping to continue to grow by expanding my private community for women + poc in grad school entitled The Scholar Circle.
Each week I spend on average 15-20 hours towards these goals prepping and recording episodes, writing blog posts, and spending one-on-one time with my growing community of listeners and followers. I’ve even downsized— moving in with roommates (which I haven’t had since 2012, pray for them lol.) to invest into this vision.
I’m asking for your help to expand the vision I have for Blk + in Grad School.
The Scholar Circle is the first paid product I’ve offered, everything else I’ve offered for free, investing my own time and capital.
For $59 a semester I provide 12-16 week support to help those who enroll improve their experience through one-on-one semester planning, weekly online co-working sessions, early release podcasts and bi-monthly research skill strengthening trainings.
For graduate students this price can still be prohibitive. Additionally, the concept of pre-dissertation support communities is innovative in itself so many are apprehensive. With my goal of supporting these students in mind, I wanted to ask you all to support these graduate students by sponsoring their enrollment in The Scholar Circle. Here is a testimonial from one of the first women scholars to enroll in The Scholar Circle. Lida is currently earning her MA in Rhetoric and composition in NYC and we’ve worked together in the Scholar Circle this semester.
The best birthday gift is supporting me through supporting these students.
Sponsor a grad student for The Scholar Circle Summer and Fall 2019.
100% of the proceeds will go towards supporting a student who wants to join The Scholar Circle but have limited funds. When you donate you will be recognized on the Blk + in Grad School podcast, social media, and e-mail.
Thank you so much for considering supporting my passion project, I know this work can’t move forward without the support of my loving family + friends.
Love, Allanté