A story of resilience, personal growth and kindness
This month I had the chance to interview for Dreamando Dr. Sam Rowe, a scientist, communicator and gymnast – as he describes himself at the very start of our conversation, when I ask him what three words portray him best.
Twitter and authenticity
I first met Sam on Twitter. He has been sharing for a while now, and to an ever-growing community, the highs and lows of his path towards obtaining a PhD in Chemistry. What caught my attention was his advocacy for LGBTQ+ people in academia (and beyond) and the authenticity of his tweets.
An organization embracing your values
When looking for PhD opportunities, Sam suggests students to look for inspiring projects. This means looking for a position that does not only match your expertise in terms of topic, but is also located somewhere you can imagine yourself living and is part of an organization that embraces the values you consider important.
To grasp this, it would be worth asking for a meeting with the project supervisor (hopefully in person in the future) and taking this chance to enquire about how they conduct research and what their supervision style is like.
Even better, Dr. Rowe suggests reaching out to those students already working under that supervisor because they will probably give you a better picture of their working style.
A supervisor can completely change an experience.
Having a supportive supervisor is indeed crucial according to Sam: “a supervisor can completely change an experience”. Other things that you should consider before starting your journey – or also while going through it, since it’s never too late – are making sure you have a good work-life balance, making time for things that you love (like gymnastics for Sam) and also taking time away to reflect on how much you have grown and achieved.
Websites are a good place to start
In particular, as part of the LGBTQ+ community, Sam recommends checking first of all the university or research institute website. This is a good place to start, at whatever point of your journey you are, because there may be a dedicated page or section where they highlight their initiatives or associations showing support for LGBTQ+ people.
You might even find an email address of reference, which would be a goodway to reach out to someone inside the organization who can tell you about the working environment there. The PhD advert might also contain specific statements about supporting people from marginalized groups.
Social media can give you that extra sense of community.
Even if the university you got accepted into does not show an explicit sensitivity towards LGBTQ+ people, social media can give you that “extra sense of community” – as Sam states throughout the interview when talking about Twitter.
Doing a PhD “can be isolating” and there is a lot of pressure. But through channels such as Twitter, you can reach out and follow others from your same field and network with people all over the world. And if you are lucky enough to find a profile such as the one of Sam, your mood and hope will be immediately lifted by such authenticity.
Final tips
A PhD is a marathon, not a sprint.
When asked to give some final tips, the message from Sam rotates around three main concepts: resilience, kindness and personal interests. “A PhD is a marathon, not a sprint”: as I heard these words, I couldn’t think of a better metaphor to explain the resilience needed to carry out such a project.
There are definitely ups and downs and this is why it is of the utmost importance to remember to be kind to ourselves. At the same time, Sam ends with an empowering reminder: “try new things, follow your interests and get involved. Don’t be afraid to be your whole self, if you can”.