College Transition Programs

I’m the Chair of the Academic Integrity and AI Committee at Berkeley. So… People sometimes find it weird when I talk about academic integrity. I almost never talk about… ↳ AI detectors ↳ Process trackers ↳ Mandatory disclosures I don’t use them and don’t find them particularly interesting. I’m far more likely to talk about… ► Using process-folios and process-clusters for more holistic assessment ► Using alt assessment to decrease the incentive to cheat ► A discussion-first approach, when we suspect that a student may have used a tool inappropriately or in a way that sacrificed their voice ► Transparency Statements that encourage metacognition and process-thinking ► Building a class culture that prizes transparency and the productive struggle that often comes with learning I’m not naive enough to think that any of this AI proofs my courses (if such a thing were even possible). But I do think these approaches are more sustainable. ——— Image: the cover of “The Opposite of Cheating” (Oklahoma University Press, 2025), by Dr. Tricia Bertram Gallant and David Rettinger. It’s the best book on academic integrity and AI I’ve read.

Having earned my PhD from a US university as an international student, if you are a new graduate student in the U.S. this semester, here are some pieces of advice from me to you based on my personal experience. 1. Please check your emails with diligence. I understand that emails can feel overwhelming, with so many updates, announcements, and newsletters coming at you at once, but therein lie a lot of opportunities. Some people get free money, fellowships, job openings, and event invitations simply by staying on top of their emails. This was a game-changer for me. I can trace some of my most impactful opportunities to checking my emails consistently and not skipping the ones that seemed too long or irrelevant. You can choose a day, maybe weekends or quiet weekday nights, to catch up and go through those emails intentionally. Don’t underestimate them. I found out about awards, grants, leadership roles, paid research participant opportunities and programs simply because I made it a habit to read all my emails. 2. Take advantage of campus resources early. I realized too late that I didn’t fully explore or utilize many of the support systems my campus had to offer. From writing centers and career services to mentorship programs and professional development workshops on insightful topics, there are so many things available that students often don’t know about until their final year. Don’t let that be you. Visit those offices, ask questions, and plug in early. 3. Document your journey. Keep a record of your achievements, involvement, awards, and impact. This will make things easier when you are applying for grants, fellowships, or even jobs. You don’t want to forget your milestones or scramble for evidence at the last minute. This helped me win a lot of awards, particularly the Chegg Global Student Prize, which required 4,000 words. Celebrate your journey. No win is too small. Surviving your first semester, getting published, winning an award, or simply staying sane, each one is worth acknowledging. You are doing your best, and that matters. 4. Apply even when you don’t feel “fully ready.” So many people disqualify themselves from awards, conferences, or positions because they think they are not good enough yet. I have learned that growth comes from trying even when you are unsure. Let the committee be the one to decide, not your fear. I sat on some school award committees and realized that sometimes only three people apply for certain awards, so please apply. 5. Please do not hoard information. I have heard cases where people hoard opportunities from others. All the awards I own, I shared them with others even when I myself was applying. It fulfills me to share opportunities with others. Those you share with will always remember you when they harness them. Kindly check the comment section for more. Kindly add to this if you know more tips or advice that could help incoming students succeed.

As someone proudly committed to this work, I’ve watched the language of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging get distorted. Lately, DEIB has become a political talking point, a phrase some use to divide rather than connect. People are being labeled as “DEI hires,” as if creating access, representation, and fairness were something to be ashamed of. The truth is, people still have to rise to the merit in the room, DEIB just helps them get to the room. DEIB was never meant to exclude anyone. It’s contextual. It’s about recognizing that in every space, someone can be left out, overlooked, or carrying barriers they didn’t create. Depending on the setting, that person, or group, changes. Sometimes it’s women. Sometimes it’s men in nursing. Sometimes it’s veterans. Sometimes it's people in rural areas. Sometimes it's women in surgical specialties. DEIB isn’t about centering one group forever, it’s about noticing who’s being pushed to the margins in any given context. That’s why this work should matter to everyone. Belonging isn’t a privilege; it’s the foundation of how people, teams, and systems thrive. Let’s break it down 👇 Diversity is commonly seen as increasing representation of people of color, women, LGBTQ+ professionals, or people with disabilities. it's also: Recognizing the need for greater representation of men in nursing, second career nurses, rural clinicians, and first-generation college graduates. Equity is commonly seen as providing workplace accommodations for employees with disabilities. But it's also: Ensuring night-shift staff, working parents, or PRN nurses have the same access to growth, leadership, and recognition. Inclusion is commonly seen as ensuring cultural holidays and pronouns are respected. And also: Making sure introverted voices, remote team members, or those early in their careers are equally heard in meetings and decisions. Belonging is often seen a creating safe spaces for marginalized racial or gender identities. But also it's: Helping majority-group colleagues see their place within DEIB efforts, so everyone feels part of building the culture, not outside of it. ✨ DEIB is everyone’s work, because context changes everything. It’s not a trend. It’s not a checkbox. It’s how we create environments where people can lead, learn, and belong: together.

If you're setting goals to create a more inclusive workplace in 2025, my experience may save you time, money, and unmet expectations. ✅ Quick Wins (low effort, high impact) Start with team psychological safety. Inclusion is felt most in everyday team interactions—meetings, feedback, problem-solving. 👇 Use tools like: 1. The Fearless Organization Scan to uncover blind spots and team dynamics. 2. Debrief session with an accredited facilitator to discuss results openly and set clear, actionable improvements. 3. Action plan with small shifts in behavior, like leaders modeling vulnerability, asking for input first, or establishing "speak-up norms" in meetings. These micro-actions quickly build team inclusion and unlock collaboration. 🏗️ Big Projects (high effort, high impact): To create sustainable change, invest in structural inclusion. 👇 Focus on: 1. Inclusive hiring & promotion practices: build diverse candidate pipelines and train interviewers on bias mitigation. 2. Inclusive decision-making: ensure diverse perspectives are integrated into key business decisions. 3. Inclusive leadership: train leaders to actively foster diverse perspectives, intellectual humility, and trust in their teams. Empower leaders to align inclusion with business goals and make it part of their day-to-day behavior. 🎉 Fill-ins (low effort, low impact): Awareness events (like diversity month) are great for building visibility but should educate, not just celebrate. 👇 For example: 1. Pair cultural events with workshops on how diverse values shape workplace communication. 2. Use storytelling to highlight how diverse perspectives lead to tangible business wins. 🚩 Thankless Tasks (high effort, low impact): Avoid resource-heavy initiatives with little ROI. 👇 Examples: 1. Overcomplicated dashboards: focus on 2–3 actionable metrics rather than endless reports that don’t lead to change. 2. Unstructured ERGs: without clear goals and leadership support, these often become frustrating rather than empowering. 3. One-off training programs: A two-day training on unconscious bias without follow-up or practical tools is a missed opportunity. 💡 Key Takeaways 1. Inclusion thrives where it’s felt daily—in teams and decisions. 2. Start with quick wins to build momentum and tackle big projects for systemic change. 3. Avoid symbolic efforts that consume resources without measurable outcomes. 🚀 Let’s turn inclusion into a tangible, strategic advantage that empowers your teams to thrive in 2025 and beyond. _____________________________________________ If you're new here, I’m Susanna—an accredited team psychological safety practitioner with over a decade of experience in DEI and inclusive leadership. I partner with forward-thinking companies to create inclusive, high-performing workplaces where teams thrive. 📩 DM me or visit www if you want to prioritize what truly works for your organization. 

💙 Health is Wealth: Why Employers Must Act 💙 Health is our most valuable asset, yet managing it has become increasingly complex. The Credit Suisse 2023 report revealed that "Health and Health Insurance" is the top concern for people in Switzerland. 🩺 This shows how vital it is for organizations to step in and help employees feel secure and supported. Here's why this matters for employers: 1️⃣ Boost Productivity: Healthy employees are more focused, engaged, and motivated. Supporting their health directly improves workplace performance. 2️⃣ Attract and Retain Talent: Offering comprehensive health benefits can set you apart as an employer of choice in a competitive job market. 3️⃣ Mitigate Absenteeism: Proactive health measures reduce sick days, helping employees stay present and effective at work. How employers can help: ✅ Comprehensive Health Coverage: Supplement standard health insurance with dental, mental health, and vision care to cover all employee needs. ✅ Mental Health Programs: Provide access to therapy, counseling, and stress management tools. Quick access to mental health support (e.g., appointments within three days) can make a huge difference. ✅ Preventive Health Initiatives: Offer regular health checks, wellness programs, and fitness memberships. Prevention saves costs and protects employee well-being. ✅ Flexible Solutions: Introduce telemedicine, online platforms, or dedicated wellness apps for accessible healthcare solutions. ✅ Transparent Communication: Help employees navigate healthcare options effectively with clear guidance and educational sessions. 💡 For employers, investing in employee health isn’t just the right thing to do — it’s the smart thing to do. A healthy workforce drives organizational success, creates loyalty, and ensures a sustainable future for all. 👉 What health initiatives is your company introducing? Let’s share ideas and best practices in the comments! #EmployeeBenefits #Health #CorporateWellness #HumanResources #HR #MentalHealth #PreventiveCare

Sometimes, disability isn't a physical limitation, but a consequence of a broken system. A system lacking true Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEI&B). 🤲 Diversity. Our Boardrooms are filled with brilliant minds, but are they diverse in thought and experience? The absence of individuals with disabilities can create a blind spot, hindering our ability to understand and serve a wider customer base. ☝️Equity. Do we have a level playing field for all ideas? Without accessibility features, communication tools, and inclusive practices, talented individuals with disabilities might be unintentionally excluded from the conversation. 🤝Inclusion. Do we foster an environment where everyone feels comfortable contributing? 👏Belonging. Do board members with disabilities feel truly welcome, valued, and supported? Can they be themselves and contribute authentically without fear of judgment? Unconscious bias can lead to dismissive attitudes towards ideas or perspectives that seem "different." Talented individuals with disabilities are present, but their voices are unheard, their potential untapped. They may even choose to leave the conversation altogether, feeling unwelcome or unsupported. This lack of DE&I creates a real disability. A disability to access opportunities, contribute meaningfully, and fully participate in the Boardroom. 🤷♂️What can we do? 1️⃣ Champion DEI&B initiativesthat actively seek and support Board members with disabilities. 2️⃣ Embrace accessibility from physical spaces to communication tools to inclusive language. 3️⃣ Challenge unconscious bias through training and open dialogue. 4️⃣ Create a culture of psychological safety where everyone feels comfortable speaking up and sharing their perspectives. By building a truly diverse and inclusive boardroom, we dismantle the invisible disabilities that hold us back. We tap into a wider pool of talent, gain new insights, and ultimately, make better decisions for our organizations.

Finally, Australian organisations are realising that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work goes beyond gender, that all people have intersecting identities and our work must address these. Addressing ageism is crucial for genuine equality. Victoria's Gender Equality Act has allowed for consistent tracking of age data and it's analysis by gender. What have we learnt? We must: 🔍 Recognise the Impact: Ageism affects job opportunities and workplace culture, with significant pay gaps for older women. 🌐 Understand Generational Diversity: There are differences and similarities in the generations, we need to value the differences and foster the similarities to create a cohesive inclusive workplace 🚫 Challenge Stereotypes: Move away from generalisations. Focus on individual abilities and review recruitment processes for bias. This means actually unpacking the reasons people over 50 are not selected for roles. 🤝 Foster Intergenerational Collaboration: Encourage knowledge sharing and two way mentorship across generations to build a stronger, more inclusive team. 📚 Promote Lifelong Learning: Offer continuous development for all employees, aspiring leaders can be any age. Measure the age diversity of participants in professional development and leadership programs. 📑 Create Inclusive Policies: Have flexible work arrangements that are accessible for grandparents, people caring for parents, and people without caring responsibilities. Let's also not forget the impacts of menopause and peri-menopause - what is your workplace doing in this space? 🔗 Intersectionality: Consider ageism alongside sexism and racism. Our diversity, equity and inclusion work has to take into account different aspects of a persons identity and how that influences their opportunities and experiences. And age is one of those aspects that can really matter. Have you experienced ageism? What is your organisation doing to tackle it? Put your thoughts in the comments below. #Inclusion #AgeDiversity #WorkplaceEquality

🌈 Embracing Authenticity: My Journey and Call for Trans Inclusivity 🌈 When I moved to Berlin five months ago, I had high hopes of always being able to express my true self. Yet, I quickly learned that there are still many places where I don’t feel entirely safe. This experience has reinforced my belief in the importance of creating inclusive environments, especially in the workplace. As companies, we have the power to foster trans inclusivity and make a meaningful impact on the lives of our colleagues. Here are three key steps you can take: 𝙀𝙙𝙪𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘼𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨: Implement comprehensive training programs to educate employees about gender diversity and the unique challenges faced by trans individuals. Awareness is the first step towards empathy and understanding. 𝙎𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙋𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙚𝙨: Develop and enforce policies that explicitly protect trans employees from discrimination and harassment. This includes clear guidelines on bathroom access, dress codes, and the use of chosen names and pronouns. 𝙄𝙣𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝘾𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚: Cultivate a culture of respect and inclusion by celebrating diversity. Encourage open dialogue, support employee resource groups, and ensure that trans voices are heard and valued in all aspects of the organization. Let’s use our privilege to make a difference. By creating a trans-inclusive workplace, we can empower individuals to bring their whole selves to work every day. Together, we can make a world where everyone feels safe, valued, and free to be themselves. #TransInclusivity #DiversityAndInclusion #LGBTQ #WorkplaceEquality #BeYourself

Are you planning any workplace wellness activities to kick off the new year? One of my newsletter subscribers recently asked me, “Our employees want us to highlight healthy lifestyles, perhaps by launching a ‘step challenge’ or hosting a 5K. While I love these ideas, we have some employees who use wheelchairs. For example, I struggle with organizing a step challenge because I feel this is not inclusive to everyone. Am I overthinking this? Or do you have suggestions that meet the ask but are inclusive to everyone?” I immediately contacted my friend, workplace wellness expert Laura Putnam. She recommended thinking about the various dimensions of wellness when designing programs. These include physical, emotional, social, financial, career, and community needs. By offering options in these categories, you’ll be more inclusive by design. With her guidance, I then researched possible activities. Here are some ideas: - Physical: Organize a “workout streak,” asking employees to record the number of days in a row they’ve done some workout—cardio, yoga, weights, stretching, or anything they define as a workout. Or arrange “stroll & roll” groups for breaks, ensuring paths are wheelchair-accessible. - Emotional: Designate an “Unplug at lunch” day, committing not to use your phone or devices and enjoying silence or talking with coworkers. - Social: Create a “Get to Know Each Other” week, with prompts to encourage coworkers to find personal connections. - Financial: Provide financial planning or budgeting classes. - Career: Host sessions to demystify the promotion process or other career-related topics. - Community: Organize a donation drive for items that a local non-profit needs. Then, once you have some options, let people design their wellness goals and choose activities that make sense for them. P.S. A few years ago, Laura and I collaborated on a thought paper titled "50 Ways You Might Have Wellness Privilege at Work" (https://lnkd.in/gBGfzhqv). It explores why wellness and inclusion should be considered holistically, with practical actions to take to improve workplaces everywhere.

“Do you know my mate Steve? He’s blind too!” It’s a question every disabled person has been asked at some point. Do we all know each other just because we have the same impairment? People think it’s a daft question, but the funny thing is – in the blind community, more often than not, we do know them. Or we’ve at least heard of them. Social media has only made this more likely. There are whole online groups dedicated to different impairments, where people swap stories, share advice, and offer support. And that’s something businesses and service providers need to be aware of. Because if disabled people are more connected, it means we talk more. When a company discriminates against someone, we hear about it. When a service is inaccessible, word spreads fast. When an employer isn’t inclusive, we don’t bother applying. But it works both ways. When a company gets it right, we share that too. When staff go out of their way to be inclusive, we tell people. When a service is accessible from the start, we get to know about it – and we use it more. And here’s the bit businesses often forget: we don’t just talk to each other. We tell our family. We tell our mates. We tell the people we work with. And guess what? Most of them aren’t disabled. But they listen. They take our word for it. They avoid the places we avoid. They support the businesses we rave about. So yes, I probably have come across your blind mate Steve. And I’ve probably changed my spending habits based on what he’s said about your business online. And I’m probably not the only one. Inclusion matters. And if you’re not inclusive, chances are you’ll end up with fewer disabled customers – and fewer non-disabled customers too. Because your reputation gets there before we do. #DisabilityInclusion #Disability #DisabilityEmployment #Adjustments #DiversityAndInclusion #Content