2023 Cohort – Institute for Recruitment of Teachers

First Year Perspectives and Advice from IRT Alumni

We asked recent scholars in the IRT 2023 Cohort to share their experiences during their first year in graduate school. Here’s what they had to say…

Hi! My name is Sarah Brokenborough, and I just wrapped up my first year in the joint PhD program in Art History and Latin American Studies at Tulane University in New Orleans. I moved to New Orleans right after finishing my MA in the History of Art in London. I thought I had a pretty solid idea of what I wanted my PhD dissertation to look like. But over the past year, my coursework has really broadened my research interests. I presented at four conferences, an on-campus symposium, and even travelled to Berlin to present at a workshop at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science. Connecting with other PhD students and faculty helped me see how my interdisciplinary research fits into ongoing conversations in the field. Tulane has been incredibly supportive. My two home departments provided several travel and research grants.

IRT 2023 Cohort News

Decisions, decisions, decisions…It’s an exciting and busy time as final decisions have been made for our 2023 IRT Cohort. IRT Scholars have negotiated offers with the help of their IRT advisors and have reported their final plans. Many scholars report receiving multiple offers with 52% of scholars reported receiving partial to full funding packages and 22% reported acceptances to four or more graduate programs. Amid a very challenging time in higher education, we are especially proud of this cohort and their accomplishments as they continue their own individual academic and professional journey.

Congratulations to all 2023 IRT Scholars as we celebrate their achievements and welcome them as new IRT alumni!

Alumni Accolades, June 2024

Paula Groves Price, IRT ’95
Congratulations to Paula who has received the Zenobia Hikes Award for an administrator in Higher Education. The award recognizes a woman of color with a distinguished career in higher education demonstrated by scholarly endeavors or administrative and professional accomplishments. Paula is the Dean of the College of Education at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.

(L-R) Paula Groves Price, IRT ’95 and Brittany Zorn, IRT’13

IRT Welcomes New Cohort

We are excited to announce that the 2023 IRT Cohort has been finalized and programming has begun! Working with a new group of scholars is always exciting and this year is no exception. We welcome those scholars who are new to IRT in 2023 and welcome back our seasoned scholars who are working with IRT again to further advance their academic opportunities.

I am writing to express my gratitude and excitement for being selected to participate in the 2023 IRT Cohort. I am honored to have been given this opportunity to receive support and guidance as I pursue advanced study and work towards addressing social justice issues in education and beyond.
Akweley Mazarae Lartey, IRT ’23