Stephanie Santos, MBA is Project Coordinator for the Equity in Graduate Education Resource Center. Centered at Rochester Institute for Technology, she leads operations for the IGEN Inclusive Practices Hub and supports two of the three tracks in the Equity in Graduate Education Consortium. Stephanie is a gifted administrator, whom we are incredibly fortunate to work with. Get to know her here:
Where did you grow up? How did that place affect the person you are today?
I definitely think of myself as a Brooklyn kid through and through, but the first few years of my life were actually spent in the Dominican Republic. We lived out in this agricultural region, surrounded by trees loaded with oranges, mangoes, plátanos—anything that you could imagine. Barefoot mornings were a standard routine, chasing chickens, climbing trees —my parents tell stories of me being barely three or four years old, climbing those trees and plucking the ripest fruits I could find. I think that is where my independence really took root. It wasn't always easy, but those early years instilled in me resilience and resourcefulness that I carry with me to this day; they have shaped the way I approach my personal and professional life.
You coordinate the admissions and recruitment track and the new equitable selection systems track, and you have coordinated the IP Hub for five years. What does your role entail?
My role in the IP Hub and EGE is anything but routine. We're a tight-knit team, and with a small group building complex systems, you quickly learn to wear many hats. As the project coordinator for the IP Hub, I'm involved in every stage of the journey, from the initial spark of an idea to seeing it implemented and impacting our communities. On any given day, I might be crafting marketing materials for our workshops, fine-tuning communication strategies, offering feedback for content development, or even jumping in to troubleshoot technical issues. It's a constant learning curve, but that keeps it exciting. I thrive on the variety and the satisfaction of seeing our vision come to life, piece by piece.
You have an MBA and are a talented business mind. You could do so many things with your training and talent. Why do you choose to put your talents to work in the graduate education community?
I do enjoy putting my MBA to work and implementing the core business essentials to our growing center, but my heart truly lies in understanding people. I care deeply about the human experience, especially in organizations. Being primarily centered on the outcomes and experiences of graduate students is integral to having a sense of purpose in the work that I do. Graduate students are at a pivotal point in their lives, embarking on new careers and navigating complex challenges. If my work can make their journey a little smoother, a little more rewarding, then it's absolutely worth every effort. Even a small improvement in the graduate education system is a victory worth celebrating, and that's what keeps me energized and inspired.
What contributions of the EGE Resource Center are you most proud of? What are you most hopeful about in the new year?
I am most proud of my contributions to the “Numbers”page on our EGE Resource Center. These data representations are a constant conversation starter, forcing us to confront unconscious biases and outdated practices. Diversity numbers can be a minefield, prone to misinterpretation and defensiveness, but looking away from the numbers allows inequitable systems and practices to fester. In today's graduate education landscape, where accountability is paramount, the numbers page can be a powerful tool.
In the new year, I hope to see graduate programs not just tracking diversity, but actively using it to improve their practices and tailoring their approaches to their unique contexts. The EGE Resource Center's numbers page is just one piece of the puzzle, but I believe it can spark honest conversations, challenges assumptions, and empowers individuals to take ownership of their own data.