Dr. Jen Fry on Being an Older Doctoral Student and Black Woman Athletes Competing Overseas

The Cohort Sistas Podcast

Sports and geography are deeply interconnected, often more so than most of us realize. From the ways that location impacts your fanbase as a sports team to how your identity as a Black female athlete shapes your experiences when competing overseas, there are seemingly endless ways in which sport and geography intersect. Today’s guest, Dr. Jen Fry, has done hugely important work in the field of sports geography, and by all accounts could be considered to be the only Black female sports geographer in the world. Dr. Fry is a veteran volleyball coach and social justice educator, whose recent dissertation focused on the experiences of Black female volleyball players competing in Europe and was written to serve as a guide to players competing abroad. In our conversation, Dr. Fry describes her fascinating trajectory from coaching collegiate volleyball for over 15 years, to earning her second master's and pursuing public speaking, before deciding to pursue her Ph.D. in sports geography from Michigan State University. She describes the conditions that prompted her to leave coaching behind, how her love of travel helped her make a shift in her career, and why we should all try to be less afraid of being a beginner. Dr. Fry goes on to share her advice for older students, the benefits of gaining experience outside of higher education, and why you shouldn’t be intimidated by younger doctoral candidates. She also emphasizes the importance of finding supervisors and chairs who have the time to care about you and your work, and why it’s so much more valuable than choosing one based on status. Be sure to tune in to learn all about Dr. Fry’s fascinating journey, along with key insights on how to make decisions when pursuing your Ph.D.!

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