Why am I doing this?
I was a graduate student until very recently, the first one in my family. I consider myself lucky enough to have made it this far, mostly with the support of grants, fellowships, and scholarships. But not all of us get enough grants to cover our educational and living expenses and still have money to go to conferences.
The academic job market expects scholars to have wide networks and a good record of conference presentations. This expectation favors those who have tenured jobs, consistent incomes, or economic support from their schools or families.
This project is my attempt to make this economic injustice visible and find a sustainable solution.
I am starting this project because I know there are many other students and scholars who are hindered by this system of building networks through conferences. If you have attended one, you know how expensive they can get.
We need representation of first-generation and low-income scholars in academia. If you agree with me, sign up to be a host. Maybe we can't make conferences cheaper, but we can enable each other to attend them.
