What a Week!

It was a fantastic Graduate & Professional Student Appreciation Week! From April 1 through April 5, partners from around campus provided many ways for our graduate students to gather, learn about resources, meet new people, and, of course, enjoy themselves. On April 1, we in the Office of Graduate & Postdoctoral Affairs, in partnership with the schools and colleges, were excited to host the University-Wide We ♥ Grad Students Basket Bonanza, where more than 400 students grabbed a snack, created a mini collage, took home t-shirts, and had a chance to win one of seven baskets full of swag generously donated by the schools and colleges. On April 4, almost 200 students gathered once more for our signature event, Meet, Greet, & Eat, for appetizers, mini collages, a photo booth, and a fun Scottie plush giveaway.

The week also included events and giveaways from many other campus partners, including but not limited to: The HUB, Student Academic Success Center, Environmental Health and Safety, Graduate Student Assembly, University Health Services, CMU Peer Health Advocates, Community Health & Well-Being, the Eberly Center, the Center for Student Diversity & Inclusion, Counseling & Psychological Services, SLICE, the Partner & Family Advocates Group, Athletics, and Dining Services. A sense of excitement could be felt all over campus!

We'd like to offer a sincere thank-you to everyone who played a role in making the 2024 Graduate & Professional Student Appreciation Week a success: our dedicated campus partners; amazing volunteers from the schools and colleges; staff, faculty, and university leaders who attended events and provided support; and, of course, our graduate and professional students for engaging throughout the week. We enjoyed meeting so many of you in person and talking about your CMU experiences. We can't wait to do it again next year!



Enjoy the photos below, and click here to see a slideshow of more fun moments.

Isabel Murdock (she/her)

College: College of Engineering

Year / Degree Program: 4th-year PhD student, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Hometown: Hardyston, New Jersey

What are your academic and/or professional goals?

My immediate academic goal is to successfully defend my thesis later this month. I also hope to finish some Future Faculty Program requirements with the Eberly Center and wrap up a couple of conference/journal papers before I start my military service commitment in May. Long term, I hope to be involved in teaching, whether it be through volunteering or in a formal education setting.

Tell us about a significant moment in your journey at CMU so far.

It's hard to pick just one moment of my nine-year journey at CMU. I think one of my most significant moments was signing up for EXCEL as a freshman. It was a supplemental, small group, collaborative learning program that used to be offered by Academic Development, and it helped me get through 18-100, 33-142, and 21-127. Through this program, I found my passion for teaching (ultimately becoming an EXCEL leader for 33-142 and TA for 16-311, 15-122, and 18-755) and learned valuable lessons about reaching out for help and the benefits of collaborative learning. CMU can be a challenging place for undergrads and grad students alike, but through these challenges I've learned how to seek out resources and build resilience. 

What do you like to do in your time away from academic work?

Outside of research and classes, I love participating in STEM outreach activities and helping Pittsburgh youth find excitement in engineering and robotics. I'm also a member of a buggy organization (CIA) and enjoy running and knitting.

Tell us about your last memorable meal. What was it, where did you have it, and who were you with?

One of my last memorable meals was getting breakfast with one of my friends from undergrad who is now a faculty member here at CMU. It's fun to connect and check in with each other, especially when the semester starts to get busy, and we had some delicious food at Square Cafe in East Liberty.

What’s your favorite thing about Pittsburgh?

My dad is from Pittsburgh, so we're big Pittsburgh sports fans. Getting to go to Pens games over the past few years and cheer with the home crowd has definitely been a highlight. Pittsburgh's bridges and parks also make it a lovely city to run in, and I've enjoyed being able to explore the city through the many races that Pittsburgh hosts (Great Race, Pittsburgh marathon, Greenfield Glide, Run Around the Square...).

Mansi Sood (she/her)

College: School of Engineering

Year / Degree Program: Final-year PhD candidate, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Hometown: New Delhi, India

What are your academic and/or professional goals?

In the future, I wish to pursue an academic career leading research teams and mentoring and teaching students. My research interests span the mathematical and algorithmic foundations of networked systems to make them more trustworthy and reliable. I am passionate about improving representation in computing by providing timely access to support structures, information, and resources.

Tell us about a significant moment in your journey at CMU so far.

It was an honor to be selected to visit the Institute for Advanced Study Princeton in Summer 2022. In addition to opportunities for mentorship, I met with several people passionate about improving support structures in math and computing. This event played an instrumental role in inspiring me to organize the inaugural Pittsburgh Women in Mathematics and Computing Symposium together with Isabel Murdock.

What do you like to do in your time away from academic work? 

I am passionate about making science and art more accessible to diverse audiences. I moonlight as a watercolor artist and teach in community art programs. Through my art, I enjoy fundraising for local food banks, nonprofits, and community organizations.

Tell us about your last memorable meal. What was it, where did you have it, and who were you with?

To me, the most memorable meals are homecooked meals that are recreations of the food I grew up with. Being an international student, cooking the meals I had as a kid is a very tangible way to stay connected with my culture and roots. When I was moving to Pittsburgh, my mother wrote a series of letters to me explaining the essential culinary concepts of our traditional cuisine, and that makes every homecooked meal memorable for me.

What’s your favorite thing about Pittsburgh?

I enjoy the full seasons and the changing color palettes in the city throughout the year. The many moods of the skies, the bridges, tiny specks of lights on distant hills, the calm rivers, the city parks, and the thriving art community.

Cameron Cheam Shapiro (He/Him)

College: Heinz College of Public Policy and Information Systems

Year / Degree Program: 1st-year student, Master of Science in Public Policy and Management-DC Track (MSPPM-DC)

Hometown: Long Beach, California

What are your academic and/or professional goals? 

Since I was fifteen, I have wanted to pursue a career in international affairs and public service. Having spent thirteen years in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and meeting US foreign service officers at the American Embassy there, I developed a passion for geopolitics, US foreign policy in the Indo-Pacific, and international trade. I still aspire to work in the field of international relations, and hope to do so through my fellowship in DC this next academic year. 

Tell us about a significant moment in your journey at CMU so far.

Through connections at CMU, I was able to join a youth delegation to the 21st Meeting of States Parties to the Ottawa Treaty in Geneva, Switzerland. I spent a week in November at the UN, learning about "mine action" from diplomats and other youth delegates, experiencing life on the plenary floor, and enjoying some extraordinary fondue! 

What do you like to do in your time away from academic work?

When not endlessly working on homework, I spend my time going to the campus gym, watching a Pittsburgh Penguins game, or exploring new museums!

Tell us about your last memorable meal. What was it, where did you have it, and who were you with? 

Recently, friends from my cohort came together to host a joint birthday party with a plethora of food and drinks. One of the birthday cakes was supposed to be pumpkin pie, but after misreading the label, a friend accidentally bought a sweet potato pie. I ended up trying a slice for the first time, and it wasn't half bad! 

What's your favorite thing about Pittsburgh?



I can't get enough of Point State Park. I have been there multiple times now, and every time I go, I am amazed by the bridges, hills, greenery, sports stadiums, boats... It's a great view, especially during the warmer months.