Ep. 119: Dr. Kristen Voorhies on Overcoming Tragedy, Healing from Trauma, and Prioritizing Mental Health During Her Doctoral Degree

Dr. Kristen Voorhies

Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology, University of Chicago

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1594357/8589692-dr-kristen-voorhies-on-overcoming-tragedy-healing-from-trauma-and-prioritizing-mental-health-during-her-doctoral-degree.js?container_id=buzzsprout-player-8589692&player=small

Since May is Mental Health Month, it seems fitting to share this interview that we did a while back. Dr. Kristen Voorhies holds a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in evolutionary biology and currently works as a marine biologist at the US Fish and Wildlife Services. Not only was Kristen the only Black woman in her cohort, but she was also the first Black woman to graduate from her program. In this episode, Kristen talks about how she came to be a marine biologist, following her lifelong love and passion for the outdoors and the ocean. We hear about what she is currently working on and what her varied days look like. Kristen bravely opens up about the mental and physical health struggles she faced while enrolled as a doctoral student. She talks about her support systems and strategies, including seeing a therapist, finding a community, and taking a break from her program. As Black women in academia, there are numerous internal and external roadblocks on our paths, and Kristen’s candidness around these challenges gives a voice to something that many of us in these spaces have felt before. To hear all this and more, tune in today!

Connect with Dr. Kristen Voorhies on LinkedIn.

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Key Points From This Episode:

• Get to know Dr. Kristen Voorhies, her lifelong love of the outdoors, and her academic journey. 

• Dr. Voorhies’s experiences being in the water, so close to sea animals. 

• The internal conflict Dr. Voorhies felt around pursuing her passion as a Black woman. 

• What a day in Dr. Voorhies’s life typically looks like and the project she is currently working on. 

• The decision Dr. Voorhies made to stop her Ph.D. and what she did after this. 

• How working in service helped Dr. Voorhies return to and finish her Ph.D. 

• Insights into Dr. Voorhies’s doctoral dissertation in evolutionary biology. 

• Dr. Voorhies’s mental health journey, some of the difficulties she faced, and the lessons she learned. 

• Other support systems and strategies Dr. Voorhies relied on to get her through her Ph.D. 

• Dr. Voorhies’s tips on how to make friends outside of your program and school. 

• Hear how Dr. Voorhies thought about balancing her personal and academic lives. 

• Challenges Dr. Voorhies faced in the final few months of her Ph.D. 

• Words of encouragement from Dr. Voorhies for other Black women in the sciences. 

• Dr. Voorhies’s advice for Black women doctoral students: get a good therapist. 

• How to connect with Dr. Voorhies if you would like mentorship or to talk.

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The Cohort Sistas Podcast brings to life the stories, struggles, and successes of Black women with doctoral degrees and their lives beyond the degree. If you are a Black woman interested in joining the Cohort Sistas community, sign up to do so here, and if you are looking for more information on how to support or partner with Cohort Sistas, please visit our partnerships page. Find us on Twitter and Instagram, and don’t forget to follow The Cohort Sistas Podcast, rate the show, and leave us a quick review.