On a recent autumn day, Provost Persis Drell was strolling across the campus of the University of Notre Dame on her way to cheer for the Stanford Cardinal football team when she heard a friendly voice call out, “Persis!”
Drell turned to greet Maria Holland, who earned a doctorate in mechanical engineering at Stanford in 2017, and is now an assistant professor at Notre Dame..
In addition to being an alumna of Stanford, Holland is also an alumna of the university’s Diversifying Academia, Recruiting Excellence Doctoral Fellowship Program (DARE), which prepares students from diverse backgrounds to pursue and succeed in academic careers.
Looking back, Holland said the most valuable part of the DARE program was the community of supportive, open people who cared about her – not just her career.
The DARE (Diversifying Academia, Recruiting Excellence) Doctoral Fellowship Program awards two-year fellowships to advanced doctoral students who want to investigate and prepare for academic careers and whose presence will help diversify the professoriate.
