Since our founding in 2020, the Black Graduate Student Association has strived to showcase our work as Black graduate students. With our work being a journey of navigating various Black experiences in academia, our signature event, “Black Journeys Toward Higher Education” will capture both our experiences and work as Black graduate students. This will be a two-part event starting with The State of Black Graduate Students and concluding with The BGSA Conference.

The State of Black Graduate Students

We want to highlight the academic journeys of BGSA members in an editorial piece, “The State of Black Graduate Students”, crafted by our stories. These stories will set the stage for collaborative conversations between the BGSA community and WashU Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) stakeholders to reflect on Black graduate student experiences.

The BGSA Conference

After reflecting on our academic experiences, we’ll celebrate the work we’ve accomplished in the current phase of our academic journeys – whether that be in the beginning, middle, or end. Black graduate students will showcase their research, business pitches, law presentations / oral arguments, artwork, or any other form of graduate work.

We will conclude with a keynote presentation by Dr. Andwele Jolly, president and Chief Executive Officer of St. Louis Integrated Health Network. Dr. Jolly earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a clinical doctorate in physical therapy from Washington University in St. Louis and master’s degrees in business administration and health administration from Georgia State University. He was also selected to be the first Executive Management Fellow at Washington University School of Medicine.