If you’re a college graduate — or soon will be — there are reasons to consider earning an advanced degree. While it’s not the path for everyone, for career-minded students who are deciding to enter postgraduate programs, certain facts are persuasive. Indeed, the number of graduate students in the United States has tripled since the 1970s. According to a CareerBuilder survey of employers, 33 percent are hiring candidates with master’s degrees for positions that had been primarily held by professionals with four-year degrees.

Julia Blue Bird is curious about a lot of things. She has earned three master’s degrees, one in electrical engineering from the University of Southern Florida and two from Columbia University in philosophy and astronomy and in astrophysics. But these days her curiosity is focused on galaxy evolution over cosmic time as she completes her PhD in astrophysics at Columbia. 

When Rita Rabbitskin was a little girl, bush planes were the primary link between her Cree community in Northern Quebec and the outside world. She watched the skies with fascination, dreaming of one day flying herself. “That was the world I wanted to be part of,” Rabbitskin says. “I used to go see the pilots and crews that worked back home, learning what my options would be. The initial dream was to be a bush pilot.”

As a young boy, JJ Jones III loved building. He spent hours playing with Legos and k’nex and never tired of creating something new and different. What started as a young boy’s passion has become a young man’s goal. Now in his third year at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H., Jones, Navajo, is majoring in mechanical engineering and minoring in Native American historical studies with plans to become a mechanical engineer, helping to keep his community — and nation — safe. 

Growing up, Denise LeBeau Bois felt it best to downplay her Native heritage because of reactions she received early in her school life. She also felt judged for being from a divorced family, her mom of Western European ancestry and her father, Cheyenne River Lakota (Sioux). As a result, she had the sense that most people outside her family did not expect her to amount to much. 

In late 2019, when Mechem Frashier, Diné, heard about a virulent coronavirus spreading in the city of Wuhan, China, she paid attention. She knew from her decades-long career as a nurse that viruses like this don’t respect borders and that soon it could be in the United States. She was right. 

It’s a sad reality. Hackers around the globe continuously threaten the computer networks and personal information that individuals, companies, and governments rely on not only to do business but also to deliver everything from health care to the basic water and energy services a functioning society depends on. 

You know the saying: when life hands you lemons, make lemonade. There’s no question that the COVID-19 pandemic has given today’s students a lapful of lemons. Chances are you’re now dealing with unanticipated challenges — and that’s on top of stresses about the health and safety of your family and your community. It’s a good guess that financial worries lead the list. When the familiar world changes suddenly, those who survive and thrive are the ones who learn to pivot and adapt. Here are some strategies for adapting — and making lemonade out of the economic crisis.

A vital facet of the AISES network is its growing number of AISES Professional Chapters. These affiliate organizations offer support and opportunities to members nationwide as they navigate their career paths. The chapters’ ongoing activities and contributions at the local level are the grass-roots foundation of the AISES mission. From serving as role models to helping their communities and organizing professional development events, AISES Professional Chapter members are leading advocates for the advancement of Native students and professionals.

So it’s time to pack for college. It can seem like a daunting task, especially if it’s your first time living away from home. Here are some straightforward steps to help get you started.