Doctoral Summer Bridge
The GANAS Doctoral Summer Bridge (DSB) Program is a part of the GANAS Graduate Pathways Project. It aims to prepare incoming graduate students by providing a week-long program focused on best practices, campus resources, and student strategies to be utilized during their time with UCSC. This program was initially designed to address barriers faced by Latiné, BIPOC, first-generation, and low-income background graduate students and has always been open to all incoming graduate students.
Impact
DSB has served 48 incoming graduate students with support from 10 graduate student mentors over three summers; we look forward to welcoming our 4th cohort of GANAS Doctoral Summer Bridge Program Scholars this coming summer.
During the week, students will be in community with the 4 DSB Mentors and the GANAS Graduate Services Counselor. Students will engage with various presentations and workshops highlighting the vast resources available to them as incoming graduate students. Students will also be given an introduction to multiple campus spaces and points of contact throughout the week to create a grounding sense of familiarity with their new environment
Program outcomes
The purpose of our program is to support students through their transition into graduate school, and our goal is that all participants will:
- Get to know on-campus resources.
- Build a community with other grads.
- Learn more about UCSC and Santa Cruz.
- Get to know the physical campus & trails.
- On-campus housing and meals are provided for all program participants.
- GANAS DSB participants will be eligible for up to $300 in pre-program support. Please note that pre-program support is determined on a case-by-case basis and is not a guaranteed aspect of our program.
- A $500 participation stipend will be awarded to all GANAS DSB participants who successfully complete and attend the program’s “active programming” portions (to be paid out in Fall Quarter).
- GANAS DSB participants will have the option to stay on campus during the week-long program.
Learning outcomes
Students will work to develop preparatory skills and strategies to be successful graduate students in their respective departments and fields of study. Students participating in the Doctoral Summer Bridge Program should feel prepared to begin their first quarter at UCSC with a sense of confidence and community.
The Doctoral Summer Bridge program aims to provide students with opportunities to:
- Build community
- Prepare for their new academic setting and research
- Familiarize yourself with campus resources
- Get introduced to faculty, staff, and resources on campus
All questions regarding the GANAS Doctoral Summer Bridge Program and Graduate Student Mentor position may be directed to the Director of GANAS Graduate Pathways, Angel Dominguez, at adomingu@ucsc.edu.
Additional Information: GANAS Doctoral Summer Bridge Program Summary Statement (PDF)