Muhlenberg to Host Talk that Focuses on Mental Health in Graduate School

The Graduate School Preparatory Program has invited Janeria Easley, Ph.D., to share her story and advice for students.

 Tuesday, March 15, 2022 02:53 PM

Janeria Easley, ph.D., will be sharing personal experiences as well as advice for protecting and prioritizing mental health in graduate school.Janeria Easley, Ph.D., knows firsthand how mentally taxing graduate school in a primarily white institution can be for people of color and first-generation students.

Unique mental health challenges can await students of color and first-generation college students attending grad school at primarily white institutions, but there are ways to combat these obstacles.

Janeria Easley, an assistant professor in the Department of African American Studies at Emory University, will discuss her experiences and how she’s learned to prioritize mental health during an event sponsored by the Graduate School Preparatory Program and the Africana Studies Program.

Redefining Success: Protecting and Prioritizing Your Mental Health in Graduate School and Beyond will take place virtually on Thursday, March 31 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. via Zoom.

Those planning to attend should register online by 2 p.m. March 31 in order to receive the Zoom link to the event.

This event will be co-facilitated by the co-directors of the Graduate School Preparatory Program: Emanuela Kucik is an assistant professor of English and Africana studies and co-directs the Africana Studies Program at Muhlenberg, and Giancarlo Cuadra is an assistant professor of biology at Muhlenberg.

Easley will share her personal story as well why she believes it’s important to cultivate a healthy state of mind as an ongoing commitment to success and happiness. Students will receive advice on protecting their mental health in achievable ways.

Easley received her bachelors in sociology and English from Duke University and her Ph.D. in sociology, with a concentration in demography, from Princeton University.

She currently sits on the board of trustees at Princeton University. Easley’s research and teaching specialties include racial and ethnic relations, demography, social stratification and urban studies. More broadly, Easley is passionate about fighting for equity from an intersectional perspective, illuminating the way in which culture and media shapes, combats and maintains inequity and destigmatizing mental health.