AIIS is sharing the excitement with the soon-to-be-DR(!) Angie Sanchez. Angie passed her written and oral comprehensive exams this past January and plans to defend her dissertation in a few months. When asked about her experience, she shared the following:

“As a first college graduate in my family, I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I signed up for this PhD. I had never heard of comps (comprehensive exams), dissertation proposal, or dissertation defense, so these are all things I’ve had to navigate on my own, without guidance or advice from family. It was very stressful, but I made it through with the help of friends, my mom and my husband. On to the next big step!”

Angie showing off her best power pose after finding out she passed her comprehensive exams!

AIIS is so proud of you and excited to see what great things are in store for you!

Angie Sanchez (Ojibwe & Odawa) is a member of Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. She is currently a fifth-year PhD student in the Department of Geography, Environment & Spatial Sciences at MSU where her research focuses on increasing access to breastfeeding support resources in Indigenous communities. She is a mom, wife, and Auntie, and is always working on being a good relative and future good ancestor.