Event Description

International practitioners willing to join and/or progress in the Graduate Career Development field face unique challenges that permanent resident or citizen colleagues and advisors may not be aware of. Whether you are a future international practitioner willing to learn about how to navigate these challenges, or a resident/citizen practitioner willing to advocate for their international colleagues, please join us for a discussion panel.

This discussion will cover many topics, including:
- The process of getting a work visa or permanent residency status when starting from an F-1 or J-1,
- Tips and pieces of advice on how to get one's department/university to support their visa sponsorship,
- The specific challenges international practitioners face after getting hired (perception by students and coworkers, language, etc.).

Please come with your questions! The Zoom link will be shared upon registration.

Panelists

Jovana Milosavljevic-Ardeljan, Ph.D. is the Director of Career, Professional and Community Development at the Graduate School of the University of New Hampshire. She is a scholar from Serbia who came to the U.S. in 2014 to pursue an MA in linguistics and stayed for her Ph.D. in Education specializing in Higher Education Leadership and Policy Studies. Her research is informed by her professional role at UNH, where she develops and delivers graduate student professional development programs focused on the importance of effective written and oral communication to translate advanced research into meaningful real-world application. Over the past 6  years, Jovana has created a robust suite of enrichment programming, including Writing Retreats and an annual Three Minute Thesis Competition, as well as programs covering timely topics such as mentorship, mental health, the hiring process in and outside of academia and others. She is a strong advocate for improving graduate education and offering enhanced support to graduate students especially in the areas of communication skill development, dissertation and thesis writing, career development and diversification, and science communication. Jovana currently serves as the Chair of GCC’s Regional Director Program.  
 

Paola Cepeda, Ph.D. is the Director of the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs at Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Cepeda has a strong record of developing and managing successful learning, training and advising programs for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers from different fields (from STEM and Medicine to the Arts, the Humanities and the Social Sciences). Dr. Cepeda serves as the Junior Chair of the Committee on Gender Equity in Linguistics of the Linguistic Society of America, the International Officer of the National Postdoctoral Association International Taskforce, and a Member at Large of the Postdoctoral Leaders Section Steering Committee of the Group on Research, Education and Training (GREAT) of the Association of American Medical Colleges. In these capacities, Dr. Cepeda advocates and works for interventions and policies to retain and engage underrepresented identities in academia (in particular, women, Latinx, and LGBTQ+ scholars) and to educate international trainees about their academic and career mobility options in the United States. Dr. Cepeda holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics from Stony Brook University.

Natalie Chernets, Ph.D. is Director of Postdoctoral Affairs and Professional Development at Drexel University, where she obtained her PhD in Electrical Engineering. She held three distinct postdocs at Thomas Jefferson University, where she was an officer in their postdoctoral association. Before rejoining Drexel University, Dr. Chernets was the first Administrative Postdoctoral Fellow at Jefferson College of Biomedical Sciences Office of Postdoctoral Affairs at Thomas Jefferson University, where she developed a passion for enhancing career-related training for postdocs and graduate students. Dr. Chernets is committed to supporting the next generation of scientists through her service with the Philadelphia chapter of the Association for Women in Science, where she served as a President and Mentoring co-chair. Currently, she serves on the Postdoctoral Section of the National Steering Committee for the Group on Research, Education, and Training (GREAT) of the American Association for Medical Colleges.