Finding My Voice Through Graduate Student Groups

By Diane Lebo, doctoral candidate in Biology and president of the Graduate Student Association (GSO)

Prior to coming to graduate school, I was stereotypically shy – I had a hard time approaching new people, starting conversations, and I definitely did not want to do any public speaking. People who know me now probably can’t believe that I used to be something of a “wallflower,” and that’s because one of the best things I’ve done for myself since coming to Boston University is getting involved in graduate student organizations. This is where I found my voice.

One of the things that attracted me to BU was Graduate Women in Science and Engineering (GWISE). When BU accepted my application, I was so happy because I knew there was a group who worked to support women in the sciences. After a year of attending GWISE events, I was still shy, but I had become so inspired by their mission that I applied for the position of secretary. This was a big deal for me – I was terrified as I submitted my application, but now, 4 years later I’m so glad I did.

During my two years as secretary, I learned more about the organization, volunteered to help with different social events, and finally “dove into the deep end” when I ran my first professional development event – GWISE’s Annual Grant Writing Panel. To run this event, I had to reserve a room (easy), buy food (not a problem), advertise (I’ve got this), reach out to students and faculty who I didn’t necessarily know to establish a panel of experts (YIKES!), and stand on stage to moderate the event (OMG, NO, NO, NO!!!). Once all was said and done, I sat back to take stock of what I had accomplished. It may not have been a perfect event, but after several deep breaths, I realized that A) I survived and B) the worst that happened when I reached out to someone new was that I didn’t get a response.

Wow! Could that really be it – If I try to talk to new people, the worst I’ll get is no response? Embarrassing? Maybe a little, but totally worth it – after all, I was able to get a panel of eight people, five of whom I really didn’t know, and most people who couldn’t attend were really polite about it. This talking to new people thing was a cinch!

A couple of months later, I took my new-found ability to talk to people “out for a spin” and joined the Graduate Student Organization (GSO). The GSO held a new challenge for me as it is composed of students from different disciplines who I definitely had never met, even in passing. Thankfully, however, the results were still the same – when I tried reaching out or talking to someone new, the worst response I’d get was nothing (and that was very few and far between).

All of the positive feedback (and a lack of negative feedback) really helped me get out of my shell. Within a few short months, in addition to my GWISE responsibilities, I became the treasurer of the GSO, and now, I am the president of the GSO. As the president, I speak with people I’ve never met all the time – I work with students from 20+ different disciplines and act as a liaison to the administration. Five years ago, I never would have taken on this level of responsibility, because I didn’t think I could just talk to the Dean or the Provost. Now, I know I can do it, even if it scares me.