Duke Graduate School

"Whatever the form of our relationships at Duke, we learned a lot about ourselves, what we really wanted, and our purpose(s) in academia and beyond. I think that is why some of us remain connected. We went through some of life’s challenges together. I would not have finished graduate school without the scholars in my cohort in the History Department..."

Drs. Javier García Fernández and Guillermo García-Contreras offer advice on how junior scholars can build a path for themselves within Spain’s academic system.

"A really important thing is to find a team with complementary skills. In other words, find people who have skills that you don't have. For example, when I was first starting out, I didn't have any idea how to raise money for a startup. So we found somebody who had worked in a venture capital firm and was interested in our work. He raised the money, and I pitched the company from a technology standpoint. And once you've assembled this team, you should learn from them as fast as you can."

"Things get easier if you have a mentor, in grad school and in industry. Your mentor can help you accelerate your growth. So, in school, work closely with your advisor, turn them into a good resource for yourself, and things can get easier for you."

"The best advice was from my dad a long time ago. He said, 'You’ll be doing whatever you choose for a long time, so find something that you like. You will be fully committed and successful only if you do something you enjoy'."