Sessions That Can Upgrade Your Skills to the Next Level - Part 1

By Lalain Aquino

As a first-generation student and in my first year in graduate school, I participated in the GRAD Aggie symposium at first… on a whim. But I want everyone to know that it was the best decision I have ever made. In one day, I have not only become a better version of myself but gained new knowledge and skills to tackle graduate school with ease.

Graduate students from various disciplines attended the 2025 GRAD Aggies Professional Development Symposium to expand their knowledge both professionally and academically. I took this opportunity to take what I’ve learned and share these sessions that can help fellow grad students make graduate school a little easier.

Held at the Memorial Student Center (MSC), the Graduate and Professional School hosted the symposium for grad students to learn how to network, become self-sufficient, manage school projects, use resources, and develop their skills during college. In collaboration with the Center for Teaching Excellence, the University Writing Center, and Texas A&M systems, they presented 12 informational sessions, of which I will be highlighting six of them. The sessions were all led by faculty, staff, and fellow grad students.

“Professional Networking for Graduate Students”

Opening the session with a fun yarn-throwing activity to showcase interconnectedness, Career Coordinator Giovanni Negron-Garcia from the Graduate and Professional School, teaches students how to network, communicate, and build meaningful connections with others. He brings up three important points when it comes to networking:

Graduate students were instructed to move around the room, perform a brief introduction, and share a fun fact about themselves. The once quiet room full of strangers became a community of familiar faces and names. Creating an opportunity for students to learn about different backgrounds, cultures, and develop new relationships.

Negron-Garcia provided many ways to write a follow-up email. He advises greeting the receiver and asking how they are doing in the first few sentences. Make sure you don't write too much on the greetings and take up their time. When you're ready, transition the email to the topic of interest. Make sure to include the topic, why you're involved in it, and briefly explain why you think they may be interested. If the receiver responds positively, reply with a possible time and date for a meeting.

It is best to send the email as early as possible to give respondents 1-2 weeks to reply. Many are too busy to respond right away and need some time to respond, says Negron-Garcia. The receiver will appreciate the kind consideration.

Networking is only as strong as the time and effort one puts into it. If students can prioritize those who can help or complement their field of work and vice versa, this can be a powerful resource for the long term. Regardless of who you network with, the session teaches graduate students to treat every connection as a door to possible opportunities.

“Upgrading Your Oral Presentation”

Public speaking may be daunting and nerve-wracking, but Senior Educational Consultant Ginessa Lawson Payne from the Center for Teaching Excellence provides excellent tips on how to upgrade your presentation to an audience. Payne informs students that it is the speaker’s responsibility to effectively convey their information to the audience while keeping them engaged. The session focuses on speech rate, defining unfamiliar vocabulary, and presentation visuals for beginner and advanced speakers. 

Did you know the ideal rate of speech is between 130-140 words per minute (wpm)? That’s the pace of Abraham Lincoln’s “The Gettysburg Address” with 272 words in 2 minutes. The pace at which you speak can either help the audience understand the topic or confuse them. Overly technical words can also confuse the audience, especially on unfamiliar topics. Payne recommends avoiding jargon, which the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary defines as “words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group of people, and are difficult for others to understand.” Visit the De-Jargonizer, which can identify rare English words at https://scienceandpublic.com/de-jargonizer.

Speakers need to thoroughly prepare and research their topic before any presentation. This can be from knowing the topic inside and out, explaining ideas or examples, and being prepared for any follow-up questions the audience may ask. It is important to practice, practice, and I’ll say this again, practice your oral presentation. You need to stress the syllables of words or emphasize key words so that the audience can familiarize themselves with the topic.

“The more work that you as the speaker do (in organizing your thoughts, providing context, brainstorming relevant examples, etc., ahead of time), the less work the listeners have to do (to understand), and they’ll appreciate that,” Payne says.

Visuals are just as important as your speaking skills. Make sure what you put on your presentation is exactly what you say or write. Translate any symbols used, and provide context to visuals when needed. It would confuse anyone if you said, “A green frog,” and the poster has a red frog on it.

“Overcoming Perfectionism”

No one is born “perfect”, but we can strive to be the best versions of ourselves. The University Health Services advocates a holistic approach to practicing self-love and compassion to overcome the barriers of perfectionism for students.

The session was led by Assistant Director of Embedded Services, Dr. Esther W. Wright, ABPP, bringing up the pressure of societal and personal expectations on students. This can take the form of parents, partners, colleagues, or even oneself. The obsession to perform perfectly in one's academic and professional careers can become a strength and a weakness to the individual. You have all A's in your classes. You've maintained your perfect 4.0 GPA for the semester. A classmate asks how you did it. What would you say?
 

• “I studied all day.”
• “Pulled a lot of all-nighters.”
• “I stayed on campus to finish my labs.”

Many graduate and even undergraduate students sacrifice their mental, physical, and emotional health just to get those few extra points. Some don’t realize that by obsessing too much on grades, work, or both, they may blind themselves to things happening within or outside of their space.

Aloof, intense, and arrogant are a few characteristics of how others may mistakenly perceive perfectionists to be. What others don’t know is that these people can be quite the opposite. Perfectionists are human, and they too feel a range of emotions—a fear of failure, high anxiety, worries about the future, high expectations from others or oneself, or a mix of these and more.

Whether you are a perfectionist or not, the important takeaway is to take care of yourself and practice self-compassion, says Wright. Where hard work is done, a reward is due. Give yourself a pat on the back, play video games for an hour, watch the next episode on Netflix, or treat yourself to your favorite snacks. The point is: it is okay to take a break and breathe. Relax and compose yourself. When you're done, you can get right back to it.