Five University of Waterloo doctoral students headed to Lake Shift

Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs is pleased to be sending five doctoral students to Lake Opinicon for the 2019 Lake Shift writing retreat. Congratulations to Jennifer Kandjii, Maša Torbica, Sagar Patel, Shefaza Esmail and Stephanie Barr, who will be spending July 15-19, 2019 at the Queen’s Biology Station on Lake Opinicon. While at Lake Opinicon, these students will have dedicated and structured time to write, partake in workshops on effective dissertation writing, and network with doctoral students from other Ontario universities.

Learn more about the five attendees and what they are most looking forward to about Lake Shift:  

Jennifer Kandjii is a PhD candidate in Global Governance (Faculty of Arts) at the Balsillie School of International Affairs. She is committed to completing her dissertation in the near future, which meant setting strict writing deadlines. In order to stay productive, Jennifer is hopeful that the time at Lake Shift will provide the structured time to write, help her to gain new perspectives on the thesis writing process, and learn techniques to balance self-care and work during this busy time.

Maša Torbica is a PhD candidate in the English Language and Literature department (Faculty of Arts). Maša enjoys working in a group environment, and maintaining ongoing dialogues about her writing progress. Based on these preferences, she has found the isolation of the dissertation writing process challenging, and is looking forward to Lake Shift’s combination of structured writing time and social immersion in a scholarly community.

Sagar Patel is a PhD candidate in the department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering. Sagar has attended a variety of writing workshops during his doctoral studies at University of Waterloo and his Master’s studies at Texas A&M University, where he first learned about the Pomodoro technique. Using the Pomodoro technique and regularly attending the Grad Writing Café has helped Sagar to develop momentum in writing his thesis, but he has found that he benefits from changes in scenery while writing. Sagar is looking forward to the fresh perspective that Lake Shift will bring to help him keep his momentum strong as he writes his dissertation.

Shefaza Esmail is a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Environment’s School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability. Reading the testimonies of other Lake Shift attendees, Shefaza views the Lake Shift as a great opportunity to disconnect from the distractions and anxieties of life in nature, a place where she feels most relaxed and inspired. Having recently completed all of her data analysis, Shefaza is hopeful that the Lake Shift will offer a conducive environment to make substantial progress on her thesis writing and looks forward to the opportunity to talk about the progress and difficulties of writing with fellow doctoral students.

Stephanie Barr is a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Environment’s School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability. As a regular attendee of the Grad Writing Café, Stephanie knows that she works best, and is much more productive, when writing in a group setting. Stephanie is looking forward to spending a week in a distraction free environment surrounded by other motivated writers in order to make substantial progress on her dissertation.

Check back after Lake Shift to hear what these graduate students accomplished and learned during their week at Lake Opinicon!