Reflections on My Journey as a Co-Editor for SPSPotlight: Lessons Learned and Insights Gained

As the co-editor of the student newsletter for the Society of Social and Personality Psychology, I have had the opportunity to gain valuable insights and experiences that have helped me grow both professionally and personally. Over the past two years, I have had the chance to work with a talented, caring, and supportive team of writers (including Katie Austin and Fahima Mohideen), editors (Jan Kang and Stephen Waldron), SPSP student committees (shout out to the Chairs H. Annie Vu and Stylianos Syropoulos), and graduate students who participated in our surveys and interviews to share their experiences.

Overall, my time as a co-editor has been incredibly rewarding and I am grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of SPSP's dynamic and engaged student community. In this newsletter post, I would like to share some of the lessons I have learned and insights I have gained through my experience as a co-editor for SPSPotlight by highlighting my top 3 favorite newsletter articles.

1. How has the Pandemic Impacted Graduate Students?

Writing a blog post on the challenges faced by graduate students during the pandemic by surveying graduate students in 2021 helped me understand the unique challenges that graduate students experienced during the pandemic. As a graduate student myself, I was curious to learn about the experiences of my peers during such a challenging time. By surveying students, I showcased the impact of the pandemic on their mental health, ability to focus and stay motivated, and overall well-being. I was also able to learn about the different strategies and coping mechanisms that graduate students were using to navigate the challenges presented by the pandemic. This gave me insight into how other graduate students were dealing with similar challenges and helped me to develop my own coping strategies. It felt good to know that sharing results from other students' experiences might help others. I hope that future graduate student committees and faculty consider surveying graduate students during a crisis or challenging time to gain insight into how they are coping. Those findings should be communicated to faculty, advisors, graduate directors, and others in power so that they could provide students with the resources to cope and create an environment in which students can thrive.

2. Facing Rejection in Academia (Parts 1 and 2):

As a graduate student, I have faced rejection in various forms throughout my academic journey, whether it be in the form of a rejected manuscript submission or a failed grant proposal. Through this experience, I have realized that rejection is a normal and inevitable part of the academic process. Writing about this topic allowed me to reflect on my own experiences with rejection and gain a deeper understanding of how to handle and cope with it. It also helped me recognize that rejection is not a reflection of my worth as a researcher or a person, but rather a necessary step toward success. I hope that it helped readers in a similar way. Through research and interviews, I learned that many of my peers and colleagues have faced similar struggles with rejection. It was enlightening to hear their perspectives and strategies for dealing with rejection, and it showed me that I am not alone in this experience.

3. What To Do When You're Close to the Finish Line? Practical Strategies on Writing Up Your Dissertation

Writing a post on the practical strategies for writing up a dissertation, by interviewing an alumna who successfully defended her PhD, was a valuable and informative experience for me. As a graduate student nearing the end of my own dissertation journey, I found the insights and advice provided by the alumna to be extremely helpful and relevant to my own situation. The alumna, Sonia Singh, shared her personal experiences and the methods she used to stay motivated and focused during the writing process, as well as tips on how to use software to create a balanced routine. Hearing about Sonia's journey and the strategies she used to complete her dissertation was inspiring and motivating. It helped me to see that the completion of the dissertation is possible and that there are various strategies to help me along the way. I hope that this article provides practical help to other graduate students who are nearing the end of their dissertation journey and are facing similar challenges.

During my experience as co-editor, I learned a lot about the issues that graduate students face, their perspective on these problems, and strategies that they use to navigate the emotional difficulties of their journey. I also gained insight into the importance of networking, using social media strategically, developing better relationships with your mentors and collaborators, and handling burnout and failure. I learned about the different ways in which graduate students find purpose and explore careers. These insights have been and will continue to be valuable in my own professional journey.

What stood out to me the most during my term as co-editor was the opportunity to interview graduate students and share their experiences with a larger audience through the newsletter. I was continually inspired by the resilience of graduate students in the face of various challenges and their willingness to help others in similar situations. I'm grateful for their openness, honesty, and vulnerability—without which it wouldn't be possible to write articles that impact other students and build a sense of community. Choosing topics that resonated with me and writing about challenges and opportunities that paralleled my own PhD journey was very powerful and cathartic.

I'd like to conclude by saying that writing for SPSPotlight was a rewarding experience—it allowed me to reflect on my own journey, gain valuable insights and strategies for coping better as a graduate student, and helped me connect with others who are going through similar experiences. Even though I was connecting with other graduate students for the purpose of writing a newsletter article, I would highly recommend connecting with other graduate students because there are so many valuable and unique lessons that can be learned from other people's experiences. For me, it has been a potent tool to help others and grow personally.