Janet Lawler

Biography Paragraphs
Janet Lawler
Janet Lawler

Janet Lawler is an alumnus of the Department of Politics at the University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Her work is on democratic political theory, especially as it relates to our digital lives and spaces. She considers how digital infrastructures and norms can shape our deliberative processes on social media and elsewhere online. 

Janet interned with UVA’s Center for Teaching Excellence under the mentorship of Adriana Streifer. 

What are your post-PhD career aspirations? 

I hope to work in a university teaching center, in higher education development, as well as pursue joint teaching appointments, like a lecturer or teaching track professor. 

Please summarize your PhD Plus internship 

I applied to work with the UVA Center for Teaching Excellence because I valued their mission and the daily work they accomplished. I wanted to learn how to do exactly what they do! I saw my mentor's CV, and I thought that was what I wanted my CV to look like! This internship was so rewarding, fulfilling, and honestly changed my entire life. I am so, so grateful to have been part of such an amazing group of people. The UVA CTE is inspiring, and they do the best things a university always talks about. I contributed to projects right away! I researched, designed, and facilitated my own workshops, based on things I cared about. I had so much support from my mentor(s) (because everyone at the CTE felt like my best friends by the end!) that I was able to really be a free, confident, independent contributor. My mentor intermediately got me applying to conferences and awards (which I got!) and involved in everything at the CTE. I even presented at the Innovations in Pedagogy Summit at the end of the year! It was such a wonderful year. Honestly, I think my work in the CTE was what gave me back the confidence and confidence in my work that helped me finish my dissertation that year. I have so many highlights, but I'll never forget the cake they bought me at the end of my internship. 

What professional skills did you develop during your internship? 

It helped me the most in becoming more patient, more empathetic. I learned how to become someone who teaches, even the teachers. Most importantly, I really rediscovered self-assurance in my abilities and my work. 

How did the internship support your career development? 

To say it bluntly and shortly - I didn't know higher education development existed before the internship, and now I have a position doing exactly that after just a year. This internship single-handedly developed my higher ed development career. I was instantly trained in almost every aspect of a role in a CTE, and then actually doing it and gaining experience. I had concrete deliverables I could take with me, like workshops and papers. I even won an award in the field. This internship did all of that! I currently work in a university teaching center, doing exactly what I did at the UVA CTE, and I love it. I do hope to still attain a faculty appointment (like my mentors in the CTE) so that I can return to teaching but hope to continue my work in higher educational development. 

What advice would you give peers on utilizing PhD Plus internships for career development? 

The UVA CTE internship is definitely the most valuable one. I am shocked that PhD Candidates aren't banging down the door to work at the CTE!