In This Story
On September 21, Department of Statistics graduate students gathered with faculty in the Nguyen Building Atrium for the first student-organized welcome mixer. From 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., approximately 40 attendees enjoyed games such as Giant Connect Four, cornhole, a "Guess the Number of Candies" challenge, other board games, and poker.
“SGSA is working to build an inviting community for statistics graduate students to showcase the department's focus on collaboration and fostering community building,” said Christopher Rivera, a current master’s student.
The Statistical Graduate Student Association (SGSA) team of PhD students Yang Long and Tengyu Song, and master’s students Christopher Rivera Carvajal and Tiffany Lin worked with faculty members Lily Wang, graduate program director, and Nicholas Rios, the SGSA advisor, to organize the mixer. Amir Hasan, the statistics department office manager, helped with the logistics and setup.
“Our main goal in the SGSA is to foster a supportive and connected community for graduate students as our statistics department grows. We want every student to feel welcomed and valued, while also working to strengthen connections between students and faculty,” said Long. “This event was just the beginning, and we look forward to planning more events.”
The students plan to host events that bring master’s and PhD students together and help first-year PhDs get to know more experienced students and faculty. They believe building these connections will create a supportive community where everyone thrives.