Your next big step! Your candidacy moment starts here: Grad2Scholar launches April 3 April workshops will celebrate qualifying exam milestones and offer practical sessions on candidacy, career planning, grantseeking and GenAI tools.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 1st, 2026) — For many graduate students, qualifying exams mark a shift in more than academic status. They mark a change in pace, expectations and identity. After the exam comes a new set of questions. What does entering candidacy actually look like day to day. How do you plan for career outcomes while the dissertation takes shape. Where do you start when funding, grant seeking and new tools like generative AI are changing the landscape.
This spring, the University of Kentucky Graduate School is offering Grad2Scholar, a workshop series designed to assist soon-to-be or newly post-quals doctoral students as they move through the post quals transition and plan what comes next. The series includes an in person gathering to celebrate students who have recently passed, or will soon pass, qualifying exams, followed by a panel focused on candidacy resources and the practical realities of the post quals stage. Additional sessions throughout April will cover career planning, grant seeking fundamentals and an ethical, practical approach to using GenAI tools in graduate work.
A celebration, then practical next steps
Grad2Scholar begins on Friday, April 3, with Cookies and Congratulations for Passing Quals from 1:30 to 2:00 p.m. Coffee and desserts will be available to celebrate students who have recently passed, or will soon pass, qualifying exams. The gathering will be held in person at Gatton Student Center, Room 331.
Immediately after, the series continues with Entering Candidacy: Resources and Panel Discussion on the Post Quals Transition at 2:00 p.m. The hybrid session will be facilitated by Ashley Sorrell from the Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching and Chad Gilpin from The Graduate School. The in person location is Gatton Student Center, Room 331, with a Zoom option available at https://uky.zoom.us/j/89707612745.
Career planning, funding fundamentals and GenAI support
Grad2Scholar continues with three Zoom workshops designed to provide clear, practical takeaways graduate students can use right away.
Using Grad School to Prepare and Plan for Your Future Career will be held Friday, April 10, at 2:00 p.m. The session will be led by Abbie Wood, Assistant Director of Graduate and Professional Student Career Support at the Stuckert Career Center. Students can join on Zoom at https://uky.zoom.us/j/81413012096.
Fundamentals of Grant seeking in a Shifting Funding Landscape will be held Friday, April 17, at 2:00 p.m. The session will be led by Lou Hurst from the Proposal Development Office. Students can join on Zoom at https://uky.zoom.us/j/86350091818.
An Ethical and Practical Approach to GenAI Tools for Grad Students will be held Friday, April 24, at 2:00 p.m. The session will be led by Jill Abney and Trey Conatser from the Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching. Students can join on Zoom at https://uky.zoom.us/j/88676116841.
Built for the candidacy moment, open to graduate students
While Grad2Scholar is designed to support students navigating the post quals transition, graduate students across programs and stages are invited to participate. Students may register for one workshop or attend the full series.
To RSVP and register for Grad2Scholar, visit https://uky.campuslabs.com/engage/event/12328534.