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From Student-Athlete to Ph.D. Student: Sutton Hodges Pursues Her Third NC State Degree

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Sumedh Beknalkar

Jan 6, 2026

Grad Student Profile: Sumedh Beknalkar

Sumedh Beknalkar, a Ph.D. candidate in the mechanical and aerospace engineering department at NC State’s College of Engineering, is also the president and co-founder of SLA Robotics. His research involves the development of an autonomous, multi-terrain, and amphibious robot from ‘concept to prototype’.
College of Education banners

Jan 5, 2026

My Student Experience: Graduate Student Assistantships Prepare College of Education Students for Future Careers

From teaching and supporting pre-service teachers, to supporting recruitment and programs like Teaching Fellows and Students Advocating for Youth (SAY) Village, graduate students in the College of Education are making an impact while receiving funding for their degrees and gaining valuable, hands-on experience through graduate assistantships.
Matt McCabe

Dec 16, 2025

Matt McCabe, Graduate Student-Athlete

A former NC State student-athlete and current graduate student balancing Division I football with intensive analytics training, Matt McCabe is combining his love for sports with financial modeling to help athletes plan for their futures – both on and off the field.
Master of Statistics graduate Elle Whitlock holds up her graduation cap in front of the Memorial Belltower

Dec 15, 2025

Advancing Into a Statistics Career

As Elle Whitlock prepares to graduate from NC State for the second time, she recounts how she fell in love with the university’s campus and people.
Lauren Pharr stands in front of a grey concrete wall, dressed in red and black graduation robes.

Dec 9, 2025

Advancing Conservation Through Research and Advocacy: Lauren Pharr’s Journey

Lauren Pharr is an avian ecologist and science communicator dedicated to wildlife conservation and supporting underrepresented voices in science.
Rachael Rice Textile Chemistry

Dec 8, 2025

Grad Student Profile: Rachael Rice

First-year master's student Rachael Rice talks about her first semester experience at NC State University in the Textile Chemistry program.
Beth Shaver

Dec 8, 2025

Beth Shaver ’25PHD: ‘My Studies Have Really Reinforced and Deepened My Understanding of the Power of Education’

Beth Shaver has known since she was in high school that she wanted a career as a social studies teacher. But, as her career progressed, she knew she could maximize her impact by earning a Ph.D. in Teacher Education and Learning Sciences’ social studies education concentration from the College of Education.
Saumya Rathore

Dec 4, 2025

Saumya Rathore, From Event Management to Strategic Marketing

Before beginning her MBA at NC State, Saumya Rathore spent seven years working in event management – a field where she thrived on energy, creativity and fast-paced problem-solving. Over time, though, she realized she wanted to move beyond executing events to shaping the strategy and campaigns behind them, which led her to the Jenkins MBA program.
smiling male student wearing glasses standing in front of benches and Hunt Library on NC State's Centennial Campus

Dec 2, 2025

From Ph.D. to Postdoc

Working with fellow students and postdoctoral researchers, Kamiyama is developing advanced methods for bulk and epitaxial crystal growth, polarity control and defect management with the goal of creating the next generation of optoelectronic and power devices.
Sutton Hodges smiles while wearing a red dress standing outdoors on a grassy area, making the "Wolfpack" hand sign. She wears gold jewelry and her long blonde hair is down. Trees and a brick building are in the background.

Nov 24, 2025

From Student-Athlete to Ph.D. Student: Sutton Hodges Pursues Her Third NC State Degree

Sutton Hodges balanced a rigorous cheerleading schedule with the demands of her undergraduate and master’s degrees. Now, she has decided to stay at NC State and pursue a Ph.D. in textile technology management.