Grad Life

Students with mobility disabilities may struggle to navigate campus, encountering inaccessible routes and other unpredictable challenges. Ishita Chitturi, second-year master’s student in information studies, is part of a team working to change that at @longhorndevelopers.

Having begun belly dancing as a teenager, Draconis von Trapp, second-year Ph.D. student in performance as public practice @uttadaustin @fineartsut, is now booked all over the world as not just a performer and teacher, but as a belly dance historian.

“When I was a child, my father used to make me recite Tang Dynasty poems,” Jessie Li, second-year @michenercenter fellow in fiction and poetry, said. “From those poems, I learned music and rhythm, form and precision. I attribute my love of words in part to that early experience.”

“After interviewing residents about their experiences in Austin, one thing is clear – no one likes traffic!” Chelsea McCullough, fourth-year Ph.D. candidate @texasischool, said.

“I believe great writing is great sincerity,” Darius Atefat-Peckham, third-year poetry fellow @michenercenter, said.

Last March, McCombs faculty and doctoral students gathered for “McCombs Madness,” a double-elimination ping-pong tournament created by Accounting Ph.D. candidate and Harrington Fellow Nathan Herrmann.

Hidden in the crevices of tropical ocean reefs are tiny flecks of color darting in and out of the corals. These fish are small enough to fit hundreds in your hands, each weighing about as much as a single pea. Fourth-year marine ecology Ph.D.

For Heekyung Kim (M.F.A. ‘24), the 2025 Tony Awards had a very happy ending! Kim’s immersive LED projection work on Maybe Happy Ending was recognized with six awards, including Best Scenic Design in a Musical.

Applications are now open for the PhD Career Pathways Fellowship!