A Conversation with Emerson’s iGrad Leaders: Navigating Grad School Across Cultures
Coming to a new country for graduate school is both exciting and challenging. We sat down with two exceptional graduate students who have not only successfully navigated their own journeys but have also taken on leadership roles to help others. Meet Rue, a Public Relations MA student graduating this December, and Star, a Film and Media Art student who is graduating in 2027. Rue and Star served as leaders with the iGrad Transition Program this year, welcoming and supporting incoming international students as they began their Emerson experience.
The Challenges: Culture, Language, and Finding Your Voice
For both Rue and Star, studying in the U.S. came with its share of challenges. Rue, who previously spent a semester at SUNY Albany as an exchange student in 2016, described the cultural adjustment as the most difficult part. “I remember seeing a graphic saying, ‘You cannot imagine how smart I am when I talk Chinese,'” she reflected. “But, you know, I need to talk in English. And I’m always worrying about…can they understand what I’m talking about? Can I express myself?” Forcing herself out of her comfort zone and speaking to students and professors in English, she overcame both language and social barriers.
Star’s experience echoed Rue’s sentiments, adding another dimension to the challenges international students face. “It’s not just physically isolating,” Star explained. “It’s also about…the cultural barrier or language barrier.” Coming to the U.S. by herself, Star found the sense of isolation particularly difficult, with her closest connections at least six hours behind in time zones.
Both students highlighted a profound shift in how they see themselves. Growing up in Asia, they never felt like minorities. “In America, people always encourage you to speak more, speak loud,” Star noted. “But in China, it’s like you need to think before you talk. While we are thinking, the opportunity has already passed.” She recognized the difficulty in overcoming the cultural barrier. “It’s hard to find your community.”
Building Community and Finding Support
Despite these challenges, both Rue and Star found ways to thrive and grow. Star pushed herself out of her comfort zone, becoming co-president of ASIA (Asian Students in Alliance). “When you put yourself out there, sometimes you will get hurt,” she acknowledged. “You know, some people might not understand you. But I did make a lot of friends who understand my culture, who accept me for who I am and I can be my true self. It’s helpful to build a support system here.”
For Rue, joining organizations and making connections with peers and professors proved invaluable. Both iGrad leaders emphasized that while the cultural adjustment is challenging, it’s possible to overcome those challenges by actively engaging with others and becoming a part of the Emerson community.
Surprises: Resources, Small Classes, and Personalized Support
When asked what surprised them most about studying at Emerson, both students highlighted the resources and personalized attention available to graduate students. Star was struck by the contrast between educational approaches. In China, classes focus heavily on assignments and quizzes, while at Emerson, discussion and conversation are valued as an essential part of the learning environment. “The professor will think that what you’re talking about in the class is the contribution you make for the class,” she noted.
Rue appreciated Emerson’s small class sizes and extensive support systems. “Whatever classes I take, there are no more than 13 or 14 students, which is great because we have more opportunities to talk about our own thoughts,” she shared. She also praised the Career Development Center’s personalized approach, including one-on-one career sessions and co-working job searches with just a few students at a time.
Advice for Prospective International Students
Both Rue and Star offered thoughtful advice for international students considering graduate study at Emerson or in the U.S. generally.
Star’s Advice: Do thorough research before committing. “Not just research to this program, to the school. You need to know what the class looks like and what the school looks like,” she emphasized. As a first-generation college student whose parents couldn’t provide guidance about studying abroad, Star learned firsthand the importance of understanding what you’re getting into. She encouraged prospective students to research everything from academic programs to the city itself, including practical matters like food options and grocery stores.
Star also offered reassurance: “When you come here, it actually will be less scary than you think. Because I believe that whoever dared to make a choice to study abroad, they definitely have the ability to stay here and to survive. You just need to have faith in yourself.”
Rue’s Advice: Create a detailed action plan. Rue suggested making lists of goals ranging from easy tasks to more challenging ones—from getting a driver’s license to raising your hand in class to speak in front of everyone. “I would make a list of those things, maybe small or very small things,” she explained. “And then you can go out of your comfort zone, push yourself a little harder to more difficult ones.”
She emphasized starting with comfortable activities, like attending events at the Office of International Student Affairs, then gradually expanding your circle. “Human beings are so strong to adapt to their environment,” Rue noted. “If you can start from easier ones to the more difficult ones, it makes it easier to adapt.”
Both students recommended giving yourself time for reflection—checking in monthly or each semester to see how far you’ve come and recognizing your growth.
The iGrad Leader Experience: Giving Back
Rue and Star’s commitment to helping others led them both to become iGrad Leaders, roles they began in July with training and orientation activities. The position holds special meaning for both of them.
Rue was inspired by her own positive experiences with iGrad leaders when she first arrived. “I had a very personal connection and great relationship with my iGrad leader last semester,” she recalled. “This makes me want to give back and help others, especially the new incoming grad students.”
Star had decided on her very first day at Emerson that she wanted to take on this role. “I can understand that isolation very well,” she said. “And I hope that this kind of role can help people to get away from isolation, even just a little bit.”
Throughout the summer and the start of the fall semester, Rue and Star organized numerous activities for incoming international students, including a mixer party and a picnic. They also created a newsletter that gave incoming students useful information about Boston’s MBTA and opening a bank account. Working closely with many offices on campus, including the Office of International Student Affairs, they planned and pulled off a fun summer for their fellow international students.
“I feel like it was definitely a really, really good experience for me,” Star reflected on seeing the community connections form. “Even though they are from different majors, they still hang out together. And I feel like that’s really cool.”
Looking Ahead
As Rue prepares to graduate in December, she’s applying for positions in higher education administration, particularly in international student affairs or academic advising. “I just love it,” she said of working with students. She’s also pursuing her permanent residence and will be able to work in the U.S. through OPT (Optional Practical Training).
Star has another year ahead in her program. After filmmaking her entire life, she’s taking classes in other fields to discover new possibilities. “I just kind of want to explore more opportunities and different areas before I find out what I want to do,” she explained. As she put it, “Living here and experiencing all this—it’s very valuable and you need to put yourself out there and to learn everything, not just from a class.”
Both students leave us with a powerful reminder: while the journey of international graduate study comes with real challenges, it also offers tremendous opportunities for growth, connection, and self-discovery.
For more information about international student resources at Emerson, visit the Office of International Student Affairs or email oisa@emerson.edu.
Your Career Partner: Meet Tamar Gaffin-Cahn at the Career Development Center
Whether you feel like you’ve got a clear career path or you’re feeling a bit lost or unsure about which path to choose, the Career Development Center has a lot to offer. Tamar Gaffin-Cahn, Assistant Director of the Career Development Center, is the advisor students should make a point to meet while here at Emerson. She and her team support graduate students through every aspect of their career journey while at Emerson and beyond.
More Than Just Job Search Help
“What I do and what our office does for graduate students is supporting them in every step and stage of their career development and enhancement,” Tamar explains. This consists of everything from job search strategies in today’s rapidly changing landscape to helping you figure out what you want to do if you’re not quite sure yet.
The Career Development Center can help grad students no matter where they are in their journey, including those who are career changers. If you’re thinking, “I’m stuck in my career and don’t know where to go,” Tamar says that’s exactly when you should reach out. “We can help untangle some of your thoughts and questions to make the muddied water a little bit clearer.”
Helping to Find Your Direction
As both a life coach and career coach, Tamar brings her unique toolkit to help students discover their path. She asks questions designed to help grad students understand themselves better: She’ll start by asking you questions like “What are you good at?” or “What gives you energy? What intrigues you? What do you want to learn more about?” This helps her to assist you in pinpointing career goals.
Tamar focuses on helping you figure out how your career fits into the life you want to build. “Do you value work-life balance? Do you value family and want to spend time with them? What about stability or creativity and doing something different every single day?” she asks. She feels that understanding these values helps students set up their careers and success in whatever industry they’re pursuing.
When Your Degree and Your Dreams Don’t Match
There is something Tamar wants students to know: it’s completely normal to discover partway through (or even after completing) your degree that you want to pursue something different. “That literally happened last week,” she says. “It’s common and it’s normal.”
To tackle this she helps students to reframe their thinking. First, she says that students need to normalize that learning sometimes means learning what you don’t like. Focus on transferable skills, take action and consider the steps you’re taking and how you’re showing up in your work. These skills can often be applied to different fields without requiring additional formal education, though sometimes certificate programs or targeted volunteering can help boost your resume in a new direction.
For the Focused and the Undecided Alike
If you know exactly what you want to do, Tamar can help ensure you’re looking in the right places, using the right job boards, talking about yourself effectively, and networking strategically. The Career Development Center has access to industry-specific resources, professional associations, and job boards that you might not find through a simple Google search.
If you’re torn between multiple passions, Tamar uses activities like the Odyssey Plan (based on Stanford’s d.school design thinking) to help you explore three different career paths through research and informational interviews. “My role isn’t to make decisions for students,” she emphasizes, “but it’s to help them shift their mindset to a space of curiosity and create action steps to get to know more information.”
The Human Touch in a Tech-Driven World
In an era where AI and technology are changing the job search landscape, Tamar believes it’s crucial to maintain the skills that make us human and unique. While she thinks that technology can be a powerful tool, skills like knowing how to network, having authentic conversations, and telling your story remain essential for success.
The Career Development Center can help with the skills that technology can’t replace, like practicing informational interview questions, drafting cold-call emails, and preparing for networking events. “I’m really good at making conversation with people,” Tamar shares. “I’m happy to share those things; I’m not here to gatekeep.”
Start Early, Come Often
Tamar’s advice? Don’t wait until you’re desperately applying to hundreds of jobs. “We strongly recommend students, especially grad students, get ahead of the game and meet earlier rather than later,” she says. Meeting sooner allows you to build a strategic approach that uses your time more effectively.
Current graduate students can meet with the Career Development Center as often as needed. Once a student graduates, as an alumnus, they can meet with the Career Development Center three times a year for the rest of their lives.
Get Connected
To schedule an appointment with Tamar now or while you’re enrolled in a graduate program log into Handshake, where you’ll find appointment booking, job boards, events, and other resources. Tamar offered this pro tip: if you fill out your Handshake profile completely, you’re five times more likely to get contacted by a recruiter.
“One thing that makes Emerson so special is that people are so passionate and so creative and wonderful,” Tamar reflects. “They want to build their lives around their art and their craft and their passion. Sometimes the world makes it hard to do that. Where I want to come in is focusing on that life design and that career design with the passions and the craft, and putting those together.”
That’s exactly the kind of partner you want in your corner as you navigate your career journey. Ready to get started? Tamar and the Career Development Center team are waiting to hear from you.
To book an appointment with Tamar or explore Career Development Center resources, visit Handshake or the Career Development Center page on the Emerson website.
Ben Pinzon, GSA Representative:What does it take to be a Graduate Student Representative?
As Benjamin Pinzon prepares to graduate in May, he reflects on how his role as Emerson’s Graduate Student Representative transformed him into a confident professional, ready to tackle the marketing world. Pinzon wants prospective applicants to know: this position is challenging, rewarding, and unlike any other campus job.
The Heart of Graduate Student Life
The Graduate Student Representative serves as the bridge between Emerson’s graduate student body and the Graduate Student Association (GSA). Connecting people, facilitating opportunities, and ensuring every graduate student has access to the resources they need to thrive are just a few of the things Pinzon does in this vital role.
“I’m here to answer questions, be a guide through the college, and offer as much help as possible,” Pinzon said.
A Role with Real Impact
The position encompasses three major areas of responsibility, each offering unique opportunities for growth and leadership.
Managing Funds and Grants
One of the most impactful aspects of the role is overseeing funding for the college’s 13 active Graduate Student Organizations (GSOs). Whether it’s the book club, film media groups, or identity-based organizations, the GSA Rep reviews and approves funding requests to keep campus life vibrant and inclusive.
The role also involves administering Professional Development Grants (PDGs) and mini-grants. These funds help graduate students attend academic conferences, film festivals, or international events in their field. “As we all know, money can be hard,” Pinzon notes. “So it’s an opportunity for students to apply and have opportunities to grow within the college.”
Creating Community Through Events
Every two weeks, the GSA Rep plans social events designed to help graduate students connect, from fall pumpkin painting to winter arts and crafts sessions. But it’s not all social—the role also involves collaborating with the Career Development Center’s Tamar Gaffin-Cahn to organize professional development events, including job fairs, resume workshops, and professional headshot opportunities.
“The goal is to always offer students the chance to mingle with each other, make friendships, and build connections,” Pinzon says. “If you’re looking for friendship, if you’re looking for community—it’s a great place to go.”
Building Essential Career Skills
For Pinzon, a second-year Strategic Marketing and Communications student from Knoxville, Tennessee, the role has helped him stretch and push himself, transforming into a more confident leader. “When I started this position, I was not the best at organization, necessarily. I thought that writing emails was going to be something that I dreaded all the time,” he admits. “But I feel like within this specific role, I’ve learned to grow with these struggles, with these growing pains.”
The position provided hands-on experience in email marketing—his dream career path—while also building his confidence in presenting, professional communication, and leadership. “Emerson College has kind of built my self-esteem,” he reflects. “I’ve learned how to interact easier with people and more professionally.”
A Challenge Worth Taking
Pinzon is candid about the demands of the position: “This role is a lot of work.” But for the right person, that’s precisely the point. “I think that having a challenge in a role like this would give you a better opportunity to succeed further in your future career, whatever you do after you graduate,” Pinzon said.
For students looking to develop real-world skills in organization, communication, event planning, and leadership—all while making a tangible difference in the graduate student experience—this role offers something rare: a position that challenges you to grow while empowering you to serve your community.
“If you are a student who wants to continue to grow within the college, this would be a great opportunity for you,” Pinzon emphasizes. “If you’re looking for a challenge, if you’re looking to grow, if you’re looking to be a leader within this organization—this is a great role.”
Interested in becoming the next Graduate Student Representative? Contact GSA at gsainfo@emerson.edu for more information about the application process.
Kudos to You!!
Graduate Student Accomplishments, Awards, and Accolades!
Ashley Abitz: MFA Creative Writing, Aug ‘26. Her poem, “My Grandmother Mentions Again That I’m Ripe For Childbearing,” was published in Union Spring Literary Review, and the poem “Ghazal,” published in The Sine Qua Non, was selected as a finalist for their inaugural poetry prize and published alongside the other finalists. Ashley was selected to perform her poem “Why I Am Not a Musician” at the November 2025 WGBH Outspoken Saturdays (recording forthcoming). Ashley is a recipient of the 2025-26 Fellowship in Poetry from The Writers’ Room of Boston and the winner of the EVVY last spring in the category of “Outstanding Poetry.” Critical work, “Window to the Self: Excavating Identity in Contemporary Poetry,” was published in Fork Apple Press.
Skylar Allen: MFA Creative Writing, Dec ‘25. Skylar received a job offer as a Content Writer at V2 Communications starting in January.
Caroline Baxter: MFA Writing for Film & Television, May ‘27. Selected as main featured talent in Film Independent’s IndieLink Actors to Watch 2025.
Ericka Birkenstein: MA Business of Creative Enterprises, Dec ‘25. Her chapter “Images Reimagined: Modernism, Photography, and the Short Story,” co-written with Jeff Birkenstein (Centralia College), came out in “American Modernism (Re)Considered” (Bloomsbury). It explores how American modernist writers borrowed from the new language of photography to transcend form and style, especially in the genre of the short story.
Zenia deHaven: MFA Popular Fiction Writing and Publishing, Dec ’25. Zenia published several short stories and essays over the fall semester. Her short story, “Locked Away,” won Page Turner Magazine’s Romantasy Contest. Two of her stories, “Red River” and “Mr. Shroodlenums,” are forthcoming in The Icarus Writing Collective and Stork Magazine, respectively. Her essay, “Unnatural,” is forthcoming in NoVA Prism’s The Lantern.
Katie Desmarais: MA Digital Communication Leadership, Aug ’26. Since enrolling in the Digital Communication Leadership graduate program as a returning Emerson alumna (Double Lion!) and overcoming two layoffs, she’s continued to grow both personally and professionally. Having found a passion for working in the nonprofit sector and now in her third nonprofit role, she has found a career path she loves and is excelling as the first-ever Community Engagement Manager at Incompass Human Services, which creates opportunities and advocates for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Seeing the meaningful impact of her work every day helped Kate overcome Imposter Syndrome as a neurodivergent professional and develop a new sense of confidence. Building the community engagement program from the ground up, in just under nine months, she has led over 30 community experiences and established three new volunteer partnerships with a fourth in progress. She has developed more than ten new community partners, which resulted in a 67% increase in event sponsorships. As a full-time working mom of a toddler, Kate is proud to show her daughter what tenacity and resilience look like. She is beyond grateful to Emerson College for making an education she never thought possible, a reality.
L. Gendusa: MA Digital Communication Leadership, May ’26. L. feels grateful for the awesome instructors because of the trust that they build, helping to achieve higher engagement and better-quality work. L. says Professor Linda Gallant creates a safe space for sharing, asking questions, and giving feedback. If they could go back in time and attend an undergrad program again, they would choose Emerson. They feel incredibly proud of the podcast idea that they created in the Content Strategy course and they hope to execute that idea soon.
Daniella Goodman: MS Speech@Emerson, Fall ’25. Daniella got a job offer for a clinical fellowship year from her summer placement.
Chih Yu Liu (Caelyn): MFA Video and Media Art, May ‘26. TOP FLOOR was screening in 2025 Brussels International Women’s Film Festival.
Karly Lively: MFA Popular Fiction and Publishing May ‘26. Karly published a piece of flash fiction.
Mahdokht Molaei: MFA Film and Media Arts, May ’27. One of the future films that Mahdokht had a leading role in is now on Apple TV. She was nominated for this role for the Best Asia Talent Award in the International Shanghai Film Festival and nominated for Best Actress of Nice International Film Festival. Also, Mahdokht’s short film “Homa” screened in the Museum of Art and History in NY and screened in London and Montreal, Canada.
Noelle Pappas: MA Journalism and Media Innovation, May ‘26. While in school full-time, Noelle has been working at an elementary school as a Data Entry Operator. She was awarded the School-Related Employee of the Year title, a prestigious award in their county. While working and enrolled in her grad program, she also published 10 articles in her local newspaper in less than 3 months.
Ilyssa Peltz, MA Business of Creative Enterprises, Dec ’26. Ilyssa, an indie film producer and master’s degree candidate, has optioned the novel How to Flirt with a Witch by Tiana Warner, a #1 Amazon bestselling author of sapphic romance and romantasy novels. The film is set to be produced as a television series. The television adaptation will be set and shot in Canada, with Warner on board to adapt the book for the small screen. When she first read How to Flirt with a Witch, Ilyssa felt truly seen in a genre that she always loved. With dynamic characters, a steamy romance, and a fresh take on magic, it was impossible to put down. This story bends genre norms, especially the tired trope of tragic LGBTQIA+ narratives. This story offers something bold, inclusive, and emotionally rich. Ilyssa is truly excited to bring this to life on screen.
Scott Pomfret: MFA Creative Writing (Fiction) Dec ’26. Scott’s short story was published in the flash fiction publication Heimat Review.
Kelly Rota: MA Publishing & Writing, May ‘26. After attending the Pitch Slam in this spring semester, her pitch was selected by Sierra Magazine to publish an article, which began as a project in Jess Zafarris’ Magazine Media Essentials course. “What Happens to the Clothes You Return Online?” was published on Sierra Magazine’s website on September 2nd.
Susanne Salehi: MFA Popular Fiction Writing & Publishing, Dec ’25. Selected as a Poetry Coalition Fellow.
RJ Steele: MFA Creative Writing, May ’26. RJ published a story titled “An Incident Requiring the Intervention of Verakov Capital Private Wealth Investment Firm’s Human Resources Department” in issue Volume XLIII, No. 2 of the Mid-American Review.
Roma Sur: MFA Writing for Film and Television, May ’26. Roma received the Best Screenplay award for her short screenplay titled “QUEEN OF HEART” at the University Film and Video Association Conference, 2025. The script was written for Professor Ougie Pak’s class in Fall ‘24. This screenplay also earned the TOP 1% on Coverfly in 2025, and was a semi-finalist for SHORE spring funding 2025. The film, shot in August 2025, is now in post-production and slated for a Spring 2026 release. IG: @queenofheartfilm. Roma’s documentary, titled ‘Three Worlds One Stage’, is now on Apple TV+, iTunes, and Amazon Prime. It follows three immigrant artists from Spain, India, and Africa, who are engaging the Colorado community through ancient performing arts.
Adam Swanson: MFA Creative Writing, May ’26. In October 2025, Adam Swanson curated and hosted the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology’s first-ever literary arts residency cohort on its campus in Otis, Oregon, nestled within the UNESCO Cascade Head Biosphere region along the Salmon River Estuary and the Pacific Ocean. Adam was invited and was joined by playwright Andrea Ambam, poets Javier Zamora and Sasha LaPointe, and novelists Patrick Nathan and Grace Olufunke Bankole.
Quinn Quinones Yoshida: MS Speech Language Pathology, May ’26. Quinn is writing a children’s book that focuses on helping children with ASD to learn pragmatic skills, specifically targeting humor/sarcasm,/nonfigurative language. It will be used as speech therapy material.
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