April J. Spivack

What are your greatest memories of OS?

The people are definitely the basis of my greatest memories of OS. There were so many highly intelligent and interesting people, representing diverse backgrounds, interests, and disciplinary perspectives. This led to heated debates and amazing sparks of insight. We also had so many hearty laughs in the midst of a lot of challenging work.

In reflecting back, what are the top three things you are taking away from the program?

• The inability to ever use the word “phenomenal” without seeing Dr. Rogelberg’s face in my mind saying it in his special way with his widening blue eyes and a smile.
• Friendships formed in the trenches with people that have my deepest respect. It’s true that in those most trying moments in life, when you are facing great challenges like graduate school, you can form the most meaningful relationships of your life.
• A greatly enhanced interdisciplinary knowledge base and a renewed passion for my work.

What advice do you have for new students on how to succeed in graduate school?

• Be open minded early on, taking on diverse projects and topics. Pay attention to which of those projects you find most stimulating and enjoyable. Use those feelings as a compass guiding you to an interest area that you can be passionate about. Then, FOCUS on the area of your passion, and trim out the extraneous activities. By focusing on your passion, not only will you work harder, but you will enjoy the process of graduate school immensely.

What job search tips do you have for current students?

• I presented my thoughts on this question and the next one as a “passing the torch” event before I left the program. I believe the program still has my PowerPoint slides to share. I guess my overarching piece of advice, however, would be:
• Be true to yourself. First, think long and hard about what you really want for your life and what you want to be doing (i.e., researching, teaching, consulting, etc.). Dream big. Next, give yourself permission to seek it and believe that you deserve it. Then, actively pursue your desires. Yes, this involves a lot of networking and building relationships with diverse groups of people. Be creative in your approach and let your passion for your goals shine. You will find opportunities will flock to you like a moth to a flame. Be open-minded when those opportunities present themselves. Sometimes the best ones come from unexpected places that you never heard of before. 🙂