Assistant Professor Sabrina Thurman was featured in an episode on the podcast "Women in Academia," where she shared her personal story and tips on thriving in academic and everyday life.
This summer, Assistant Professor of Psychology Sabrina Thurman was featured in an episode on the podcast “Women in Academia.”
In the show, host Irena Lovcevic interviews female researchers to understand the challenges that women in academia face and how to overcome those challenges. One major goal of the show is to share the stories of inspirational women in academia to support girls/women who are considering academic careers, and to provide helpful tips on thriving in both academic and everyday life.
Thurman began the interview by describing her background of being a “striver” — a first-generation college student from a low-income background — and how that shaped her early experiences as an undergraduate student. She highlighted the important role of mentoring relationships for students who identify as strivers. Thurman outlined the path that led her to her current research in infant motor development, and described findings from a few recently published journal articles (Thurman & Corbetta, 2017; 2019). Thurman went on to discuss challenges faced by women in academia, including imposter syndrome, work/life balance, and systemic issues. Towards the end of the episode, Thurman highlighted the importance of building a strong support network for women considering academic careers, or for those who are just starting out in academia.
Listen to the full ~20-minute episode online.
Thurman graduated from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro summa cum laude with Full University Honors. She went on to earn her master’s and doctorate in developmental psychology from the University of Tennessee Knoxville and joined the faculty at Elon University in 2017.