by Zane Emīlija Sarma
I was honored to have been chosen as one of the two recipients of the Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship for the Fall 2020 semester. This fellowship is awarded to doctoral degree candidates with outstanding and innovative doctoral research proposals by the Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies program at the University of Arkansas.
I received the award after spending countless sleepless nights obsessing over my dissertation proposal, reworking my draft a thousand times (then reworking it one more time for good measure), and making sure that my research project goals were both realistic and ambitious at the same time. I am a perfectionist, but like most grad students I also have a terrible case of impostor syndrome. Receiving this award was much needed validation that the faculty I look up to believe in my research project and see the potential in my dissertation.
Have a Support System
I could not have crafted my research proposal without the support of my dissertation advisor and my committee, as well as my family. It’s important to have a great support system in grad school and to surround yourself with people that will lift you up when you doubt yourself. I believe that this fellowship is not only the result of hard work and creativity, but also the outcome of what happens when you choose to believe in yourself as a researcher.
My Best Piece of Advice
The best piece of advice I would give to another grad student looking for funding is TO APPLY! Apply for any and all funding that you may be eligible for. Talk to your advisor, talk to faculty, talk to your program director–find out what funding is out there! [Note: explore our Undergraduate Funding and Graduate Funding pages for more information on what we offer] Far too often, grad students tell themselves that their work isn’t good enough to be considered for this or that award, but the reality is that most of the time you are the only one holding yourself up to an impossible standard. Give yourself permission to try and you’ll likely be surprised of the outcome!
