Summer Success Symposium
The Summer Success Symposium is a professional and community development event for new and continuing research students from across all graduate fields. Open to all doctoral students, this symposium has a particular focus on bringing together students with an interest in contributing to Cornell’s core value to provide a Community of Belonging where scholars representing different backgrounds, perspectives, abilities, and experiences can learn, innovate, and work in an environment of respect.
Through this symposium, participants have the opportunity to form connections and establish community. This symposium also provides participants with the opportunity to engage with successful alumni, faculty, and professionals. Summer Success Symposium keynote and workshop content focuses on providing participants with access to knowledge and insights that will help them navigate their successful transition into and progression through their graduate studies.
2025 Summer Success Symposium
August 19, 2025 | 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. ET | G10 Biotechnology Building
Registration will open in June 2025
*August 13 Priority Registration Date
Agenda
10-10:15 a.m. ET
Check-In
10:15-10:30 a.m. ET
Welcoming Remarks
Speaker: Sara Xayarath Hernández, Associate Dean for Inclusion and Student & Faculty Engagement, Graduate School
10:30 – 11:30 a.m. ET
Opening Plenary Session: Developing a Strategic Mentor Network
Speaker: Evelyn Ambríz, ‘11 B.S., ‘15 MPA, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Research for Mentoring & Faculty Engagement, Graduate School, Cornell University
About our Speaker
Dr. Evelyn Ambríz is the inaugural postdoctoral researcher for mentoring & faculty engagement at the Cornell University Graduate School where she co-leads the Faculty Advancing Inclusive Mentoring Resource Center and provides mentor and mentee development training, resources, and support for faculty, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers. Drawing from the disciplines of sociology and organizational theory, Dr. Ambriz examines the engagement experiences of Black and Brown members of elite and historically White and male only good ole’ boys’ clubs in higher education. Leveraging qualitative research methods, she explores the organizational structures and routines that govern rules for engagement, members’ contributions to racial climate, and how Black and Brown members leverage their proximity to Whiteness and wealth to advance their and their communities’ interests. Her passion for mentoring stems from her research and practical experiences. In a previous capacity as an assistant dean of students for student development diversity initiatives at Cornell University, she mentored and guided several hundred student leaders to help them establish networks and advance community interests.
Dr. Ambriz received a bachelor’s in development sociology and a master’s degree in public administration with a graduate minor in Latina/o Studies at Cornell University. She received a Ph.D. in higher education leadership from the University of Texas at Austin.
11:40 a.m. – 12:40 p.m. ET
Flash Talks & Engagement Session: Caring for Your Health & Well-Being
Session Summary
This session will include a series of flash talks highlighting the importance of taking a proactive approach to managing your overall health and well-being, opportunities on campus in the greater Ithaca community to engage in fitness and recreational activities, and counseling resources accessible through Cornell Health.
12:40-1:15 p.m. ET
Boxed Lunch
1:15-2:30 p.m. ET
Alumni Keynote Session
Speaker: Erika Tatiana Camacho, ’03 Ph.D., Manuel P. Berriozábal, Ph.D. and María Antonietta Berriozábal Endowed Chair of Mathematics, University of Texas at San Antonio
About our Speaker
Dr. Erika Tatiana Camacho is the inaugural holder of the Manuel P. and María Antonietta Berriozábal Endowed Chair and Professor with joint appointments in the departments of Mathematics and Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology (NDRB) at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
Camacho was a Fulbright Research Scholar at the Institut de la Vision (IDV) – Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (Inserm) and Sorbonne Université in Paris 2022-2023 and a faculty at Arizona State University 2007-2023. Camacho had three impressive years (from 2019-2022) of work at the National Science Foundation (NSF) as Program Director co-Lead of the Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Program and Program Director of the ADVANCE and the Racial Equity in STEM Education Programs where she contributed significantly to impactful initiatives dedicated to equity across the agency. As the co-Lead of the HSI Program, Camacho revamped and expanded the NSF HSI Program to create robust funding mechanisms, including multiple tracks and Hubs and Centers, that speak to and reflect the heterogeneous HSI landscape. Camacho has a long and successful career in and outside of academia as a mathematical biologist, researcher, educator, mentor and advocate for equity in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
Camacho earned her Ph.D. in applied mathematics at Cornell University in 2003 where she was a Cornell Sloan Scholar.
2:30-3:30 p.m. ET
Mastering Your Transition Into & Progression Through Graduate School
During this panel discussion with continuing doctoral students from across the disciplines, panelists candidly discussed their experiences and strategies for making a successful transition into graduate school. They also shared insights on their experiences navigating their ongoing progression through their graduate studies and their exploration and preparation for various postgraduate career pathways.
Event Sponsors
Graduate School Office of Inclusion & Student Engagement, the College of Engineering Office of Inclusive Excellence, and the Cornell Chapter of the Bouchet Graduate Honor Society
Attribution Statement
This program was modeled in part after PROMISE: Maryland’s NSF AGEP Summer Success Institute.
The launch and institutionalization of the Summer Success Symposium benefited from support from the 2016 ETS/CGS Award for Innovation in Promoting Success in Graduate Education and National Science Foundation under Award No. 1647094, CIRTL AGEP Transformation Alliance from 2016-2022. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the Cornell PI team and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.