Our Core Values
Community – We believe in the power of connection. STP is a space where women uplift, encourage, and show up for one another.
Authenticity – We honour the full self—your culture, your story, your truth. There’s no need to perform here.
Growth – Academic, personal, and professional growth are all part of the journey. We’re here to help you move forward with confidence.
Care – We lead with empathy, recognizing that thriving includes rest, support, and mental wellness.
Equity – We center voices that are often unheard in academia, creating space for diverse perspectives to lead, shape, and be seen.
Our Story
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SheThrivesPhD was born from one woman’s lived experience of invisibility in academia. When Dr. Vera Onana began her PhD, she stepped into a world that felt unfamiliar and isolating. In her lab and across her research network, no one looked like her or shared her lived experiences. As an international student, far from home and without a strong support system, she faced struggles her Canadian peers and professors simply couldn’t relate to struggles tied deeply to identity, culture, and belonging.
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For years, she carried the desire to create a space for women like her a community where they could be fully seen and supported. But she waited. Through milestones, data collection, and publications, she kept putting it off. Until July 2024, just before her thesis defense, Vera decided she’d waited long enough. That same month, SheThrivesPhD was launched.
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Since then, the community has grown across North America and Europe, offering webinars, weekly check-ins, and a safe, identity-affirming space for women navigating their PhD journeys. SheThrivesPhD is more than a network; it’s a movement. It exists to remind women that they are not alone in academia. That their stories matter. That they deserve to thrive.
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Pursuing a PhD can be exciting but it can also be isolating, overwhelming, and exhausting. That’s why SheThrivesPhD exists: to create a safe, empowering space where women can share the journey, celebrate wins, and overcome challenges together.
SheThrivesPhD is a global community where members connect through virtual meetups, writing workshops, accountability partnerships, and honest conversations about life as a woman in academia. Whether you’re in your first year or defending your dissertation, you don’t have to do it alone.