Q&A: Life as a Graduate Student with Lilly Lew

Recent graduate student speaks about her educational journey at the University of California, Santa Barbara and offers advice to incoming students.

By: Christine Hsu | August 3, 2021

Lilly Lew recently graduated with a Ph.D. from the Department of Education at The Gevirtz School. Her passion for research, her love for Santa Barbara, and commitment as an educator has led her to a fulfilling seven years at UCSB.

What was the most rewarding experience you had as a graduate student?

I had so many rewarding experiences being a graduate student at UCSB. I was deeply moved when faculty reached out to me and invited me to accompany them to the American Education Research Association (AERA). I knew presenting at AERA was a major rite of passage amongst education researchers and I would feel so discouraged when my presentation proposals were not accepted. I realized AERA is an intricate network of talented scholars and an incredible resource.  

Undergraduate research supervision was one of the most challenging, but rewarding experiences so far. As an educator, I actively seek opportunities to mentor and pay the tradition forward. My research assistants (Christine and Brigette) helped me immensely with the data processing, and I was so glad they were also willing to co-present preliminary findings with me.  

What’s the most challenging experience you had to face as a graduate student?

Being a graduate student in Santa Barbara can be very challenging. UCSB is an amazing school and there are many opportunities to explore intellectual curiosities. With the smorgasbord of opportunities and the limited time to complete degree requirements, I had to constantly adjust my workload and my schedules. My full-time schedule included: teaching assistantship, research writing, community-based field work, conference presentations (virtual presentations and travel), funding applications, and undergraduate research supervision. 

Santa Barbara is a gorgeous place to live and work and the cost of living is very high compared to other parts of the country. Therefore, careful budgeting and financial discipline was crucial for completing the graduate program with minimal debt. 

What was your most fun experience as a graduate student in Santa Barbara?

I had so much fun exploring the local food and bar scene in Santa Barbara with friends and colleagues. These small gatherings led to transformational conversations that inspired my work and my personhood. Fortunately, I had mentors who were willing to take students out for networking events and they guided us through the local culinary scene. This tradition really resonated with me and I tried to treat my assistants to gourmet coffee or meals when I could.  

What advice do you have for current or upcoming graduate students? 

Work-life balance is essential for staying centered in the midst of the busy schedule. Scheduling my breaks, transitions (from one activity to the next), wellness activities before penciling in meetings, classes, project timelines and workstreams.

iCalendar/Google Calendar is my friend. I included color-coded calendars and events with alerts. This electronic calendar synced across all my devices, so I was less likely to miss my workouts, meal preparation, meetings, appointments on-and-off campus, and my writing goals.