Testimonials from SCWIST Workshop Attendees

The power of hearing other women’s stories

• Two hours passed so quickly. It was inspiring to hear stories of others and advice. I came in with worries. I still leave with them (answers weren’t the point). But I also leave with hope that I can deal with them myself.

• Great – very good just to have a chance to sit and talk with other women at different career and relationship stages who have done different things. Lil is an engaging and inspiring speaker. The workshop was great! Thanks!

Recognizing the value of Bridging Transitions

• It’d be great to have a regular course like this in my faculty.

• Most helpful was using personal examples and having a chance to discuss in a nonjudgmental environment.

• I can’t wait to attend the next workshop.

Uniqueness of Bridging Transitions Workshops

• Having attended a variety of workshops over my time as a PhD student (e.g. research grant writing, conflict management, connecting/networking, careers in academia, getting back on track with your dissertation), in general these events are panel discussions or lectures, not workshops in which the attendees get to work through their own unique issues. Other workshops (outside of this series) are also relatively mechanistic/formulae driven, whereas working through a transition on an individual basis cannot be simplified to such a resultant. In general, the facilitators for university-based workshops are professionals in business or science, or career educators, not qualified professionals in sociology or psychology: their workshops play a vital role in the career development of graduate students and motivation for completing a dissertation, but do not necessarily council students through their unique circumstances. Previous workshops I’ve attended were generalized for the entire university body; with specifics offered where possible. I appreciated the opportunity to attend the Bridging Transitions workshops for their focus on the women in the sciences as human beings, not just career-driven machines.

When I discovered that there was an organization like SCWIST, I was very excited as I had been in search of something like it since I landed here in Canada. I loved the interaction program (Jade Workshop) and am sure will be participating in other programs in the future. The program gave me a lot of confidence and an event to network with fellow graduates and professionals. I am even thinking of volunteering for SCWIST. Further, I am spreading the goodness of SCWIST among my friends and acquaintances. – MSc Student, SFU

The workshop (“Tools for Transitions”) was useful because it illuminated that:

• I already have some skills that I can apply in times of change
• I am not alone, and there are others out there who are in the same position as me

The workshop (all the Jade workshops that SCWIST hosts, in fact) offer a chance to network while developing skills for my career in science. The workshops also give me resources that I can go out and freely investigate on my own time that I would not have found on my own. – Postdoctoral Fellow, UBC