People

Zo is a second-year MSW student exploring how social work interventions can improve health equity and outcomes for patients. In their free time, Zo loves creating and listening to music, bike riding, going on outdoor adventures, reading, and spending time with their cat, Phoebe.”

Jena assists with all programs related to on-campus fellowships and other special programs.

Refilwe is a first-year MBA candidate at Olin Business School. Originally from South Africa, she completed a B.Soc.Sci in Law and Economics (Hons) at Rhodes University. Before starting business school, she worked in the Consulting industry in South Africa, specializing in business consulting and risk advisory. Refilwe enjoys contributing to community social impact projects in her free time, exploring new places, interior design, and trying out new restaurants.

Judy is a 5^thyear PhD candidate in Psychological & Brain Sciences. She received her B.S. in Health Science from James Madison University and worked in the healthcare industry before completing the post-baccalaureate program in Psychology at UC Berkeley. Her research explores the role of emotions in social interactions and psychological well-being. During her graduate studies, Judy has developed an interest in data analytics and how data can be used to provide valuable insights into behavior. She hopes to continue working with data outside academia upon graduating in the spring.

Outside of the lab, she enjoys making her own candles, cuddling with her dog, and learning how to compost all her food scraps.

Lara is a second-year PhD student in Germanic Languages and Literatures and Comparative Literature in the International Writers Track. Beside her passion for writing and literature, Lara enjoys music, dancing, and cooking and is an avid backpacker. On social media, she shares her joy for art, food, and traveling with others, expressing her deep appreciation for life’s experiences. She now uses her storytelling and creativity to work in communication and content creation for the Graduate Center, bringing students from different backgrounds together.”

Sophia works closely with graduate students to assess how communication from the Graduate Center reaches the broader graduate school community.

A recent WashU alumna with an MFA in Visual Art, Sophia is passionate about community building and sculpting.

Jessica Klingler Cissell is the Assistant Provost, Graduate Education and International Community in the Office of the Provost.  In this role, Jessica sets the strategic direction for The Graduate Center, including the university-wide graduate fellowships, co-curricular and development programming for over 8,000 graduate and professional students.

Nancy provides administrative support for The Graduate Center. In this role, she supports and assists the director and manager of The Graduate Center with event logistics, coordinates activities with outside vendors, processes the accounting through WorkDay, manages the logistics of specific events, and greets visitors.

Rachel works closely with the leadership staff of The Graduate Center and plays a key role in its continuing innovative development as a dedicated campus space with interdisciplinary programming and information resources for graduate and professional students at Washington University in St. Louis.

Sandra is responsible for developing and executing comprehensive engagement strategies for our graduate and professional students by leveraging data analytics to inform engagement strategies, and optimizing TGC’s resources to enhance graduate and professional student programming, recruitment and retention.

She is a recent WashU alumna who graduated with her PhD in German and Comparative Literature. Sandra enjoys computational analyses and translates her passion for storytelling into building data stories and communicating insights.