Jaimin Gandhi
Jaimin shares his perspectives on the graduate assistant role. He expresses his positive experience, highlighting skill development, event creation, and overcoming fears. He advises upcoming assistants to bring all strengths and weaknesses and learn from experienced individuals. Furthermore, he emphasizes authenticity and vulnerability, focusing on skill development over grades, but maintaining good academic performance. He encourages students to enjoy the learning process and prioritize experience and skills for long-term success.
Rachel Castria
Rachel Castria discusses her role as a graduate assistant at Rutgers University in the MCM program, where she handles research, marketing, recruitment, and outreach. She takes pride in collaborating with her fellow students and shares a story from COMMChella, where she played dual roles as a student and graduate assistant. Rachel stresses the significance of having a master’s degree in today’s job market and encourages future graduate assistants to build a strong community within their program. Rachel also talks about her efforts to revive the MCM graduate student Association Instagram account, which has led to increased morale and communication among students, both on and off campus. She emphasizes the importance of community and communication for graduate assistants, especially in the hybrid work environment of the future.
Gladys Cepeda
Gladys shares her positive experience as a graduate assistant at School of Communication and Information. She highlights how the role sharpened her skills, particularly in networking, and describes a significant project, the SCI Mingle, where she connected students with mentors. This experience helped her develop time management skills, figure out her professional identity, and learn to present herself effectively. Gladys emphasizes the importance of networking in librarianship and keeps in touch with people she met through the SCI Mingle. She also expresses her gratitude for the helpful and knowledgeable staff at her career center.
Cheyenne Riehl
Cheyenne discusses her fulfilling experience as a graduate assistant at Rutgers University’s School of Communication and Information (SC&I). She describes her role as dynamic and challenging, with her supervisor encouraging her to take initiative. Cheyenne also emphasizes the networking opportunities she gained, connecting with individuals from various fields and learning about SC&I’s diverse offerings. She spent her days working on outreach initiatives, enhancing her LinkedIn skills, and attending virtual events. Cheyenne cherishes the support she received from the career services team and the impact of momentary mentors she met during her assistantship on her personal and professional growth. She encourages anyone considering a graduate assistant position at SC&I to apply, as it was a valuable and enriching experience that she continues to showcase on her resume.