Graduate Student Appreciation Week 2026

The UIC Graduate College invites graduate students to participate in a series of workshops, presentations, wellness sessions and social events during our annual UIC Graduate Student Appreciation Week held April 6-10.

Learn about a few exciting events lined up for Graduate Student Appreciation Week 2026, as well as links to register:

Monday, April 6

Plant and Flourish: Paint & Pot Social 

Kick off Grad Appreciation Week, paint your pot and plant your own succulent! Join us for a relaxing, fun-filled event where you can take home your very own beautifully painted pot with a live plant. Don’t forget to RSVP, as supplies are limited, and we want to make sure everyone has the chance to participate. Come create, paint and pot with us.

Tuesday, April 7

Critical Hope: Navigating Uncertainty & Reimagining Possibilities

This workshop will briefly cover the concept of critical hope within education settings. Attendees will be able to reflect on and discuss how critical hope can be applied to their own field/research/everyday life and engage in a collage-making activity that centers their own hope possibilities.  

Wednesday, April 8

West Side Coffee and Donuts Social

Enjoy coffee and donuts and take a moment to mix and mingle with other west side of campus graduate students. First-come, first-served while supplies last.

Connecting with Confidence: Graduate Student Networking and Presentation Skills — Co-hosted with the Graduate Student Council

This interactive workshop is designed for graduate students looking to bridge the gap between academic expertise and professional presence. Whether you are presenting at a conference, pitching to industry partners or engaging in small talk at a networking event, this workshop provides actionable techniques to build genuine connections and deliver persuasive presentations. This session will help you overcome presentation anxiety, master the art of starting conversations with authenticity and help you to expand your professional network.

Thursday, April 9

Somatic Experiencing in Trying Times

Somatic Experiencing is a modality that encourages regulation in the central nervous system. It recognizes that our nervous system health greatly impacts our day-to-day experience of presence, ability to engage in meaningful relationships, and how we experience our sense of purpose.

Keynote Event: Succ(S)eeding in Volatile Times — Event held in collaboration with the Equity and Inclusion in Engineering Program

For many seeds, darkness is a prerequisite for germination. And though it may feel counterintuitive right now, it’s precisely in these dark times when the most essential and subversive thing we can do is sow and cultivate seeds, both literal and imagined, for the future we want to live in. What we pay attention to grows. So, what do you want to cultivate? What does it mean to you to succ(seed)? What do you need to succ(seed)? Who do you need to succ(seed)? How will you know when you’ve succ(seed)? Why must you succ(seed)?

This session explores the symbolism of seeds and growth, where the act of planting seeds mirrors the practice of setting intentions. In this “ritual for (succ)seeding,” students will be guided to think about those seeds that came before them, enabling them to be stored with the potentials they have today. This practice of remembering ancestral seeds — biological, cultural and intellectual ones — is the soil that nourishes our seeds, and provides us with affirmations/ incantations which water those seeds. The seeds are themselves, the promises/declarations/intentions of flourishing.

Friday, April 10

East Side Coffee Treats and De-Stress Social

Enjoy some coffee and treats, mingle and socialize while also using coloring, craft and fidget tools to de-stress (provided). First-come, first-served while supplies last.