Prospective Graduate Students
Dr. Mekawi WILL be reviewing applications this Fall for the 2025-2026 clinical psychological science cohort at UofL! Here is some info to help you decide if you may be a good fit. This guide is detailed because I believe fit matters, and I want you to have as much clarity as possible. Yet, there is much more I can say here! If you end up interviewing with us in January, I am happy to answer questions and provide more information in more depth.
COLOR Lab Values
Community: As a mostly BIPOC lab studying racism in the context of a red state, cultivating belonging and developing authentic relationships is critical. Academia was not built for us, and we reject Eurocentric models of cold detachment. Doing this work in a sustainable way requires belonging, mutual care, and accountability.
Integrity: We uphold honesty in our research and relationships. Direct communication and ethical conduct are non-negotiable.
Excellence and Growth: We aim for rigorous, impactful scholarship, while recognizing mistakes as part of the learning process.
Dr. Mekawi’s Mentorship Style
Mentorship is ALL ABOUT FIT. Thus, take this brief self-evaluation with a grain of salt and evaluate it based on your needs.
Strengths
Investment: I am deeply invested in my students’ success - I bring students into publications, connect them to opportunities, introduce them to colleagues they are interested in working with, and am always actively trying to find ways for students to meet their goals. For example, if a student is interested in a particular career, I actively learn about that career, try to understand how to be successful in it, and work with students to get the experiences they need.
Collaboration: I work with students to set due dates, adjust timelines, and find realistic paths forward. Consensus is important to me and I value the process of discussion and negotiation of how to meet multiple goals and competing demands. If a student’s capacity or career goals change, I often will encourage major changes in shared expectations (e.g., skipping conferences to prioritize wellness)
Transparency: I explain not only what I expect, but why. For example, if I’m going to ask a student to complete a data dictionary in a particular way, there will be a clear, experience-based rationale for it.
Holistic Approach: I see students as whole people with unique values, goals, and roles, not just researchers. I understand that my students are daughters, friends, and partners, and that their identity doesn’t revolve around academia or grad school. Although I expect students to contribute to the lab, it is not approached in a transactional way. Ultimately, my personal career success does not rely on student output.
Accountability: I apologize when I have misstepped and go beyond this by trying to engage in effective repair. For example, if I make an error, I do my best to address it and find ways to make up for it. I try to make changes that prevent further issues.
High Expectations: Mentorship is critically important to my professional identity and I genuinely desire to be as effective of a mentor as I can be. I’m willing to change things up and experiment with new ways of doing things as a way to maximize my ability to meet students’ needs in a sustainable way.
Growth Areas
Managing intensity: I love research and I love mentorship - truly, it is so thrilling for me to help guide a student’s research trajectory! I am also a creative person with many thoughts running through my head at all times. As a consequence, I tend to generate many ideas (which students report can be overwhelming). Thus, I am practicing inhibiting sharing of all of these ideas and also clarifying which are essential vs optional.
More proactive structure: Sometimes, I cannot anticipate student challenges and only develop policies or make changes after a hard incident. I’m working on trying to anticipate and prevent challenges by trying to build more resources, adding structure, and clarifying expectations about ambiguous processes (e.g., dissertation ).
Discerning when to push vs back off: I mentor most easily with ambitious, goal-oriented, and self-directed students. I’m also working on when to “push” more and when to step back for students who need different kinds of support.
Dr. Mekawi Seeks a Student Who…
(High Priority)
…is intellectually curious, likes to think deeply, and pushes themselves to think critically
…loves research (even with all of its limitations and flaws) and is intrinsically motivated to contribute to rigorous, impactful scholarship.
….is open to idea exploration, but also can stay focused and make decisions that are aligned with values and goals.
…has a growth mindset and views constructive feedback as helpful (rather than a personal attack)
…embraces nuance and is open to dialectical (rather than rigid, dogmatic, or oversimplified) thinking
…is steadfast in their commitment to social justice, yet prioritizes humility over dignified self-righteousness
…holds themselves accountable, takes responsibility, and engages in repair when needed (rather than disengaging and/or only blaming others)
…has a community orientation and an intrinsic desire to form meaningful relationships and contribute to lab members’ sense of belonging
(Medium Priority)
…is good at long-term planning (i.e., going from “idea” to “implementation”). See “take initiative” part of this blog.
…is persistent and always willing to “get back up” in the face of rejection, boredom, or failure (while also taking time to process and reflect)
…has good time management skills (e.g., allocates appropriate time to complete a task)
…is open to scaffolding and clearly laid out expectations, rather than resistant of them
…has a strong work ethic but recognizes their limitations
Graduate Student Expectations
Time Commitment: maximum of 5 hours per week of lab, including meetings (but on average, students do 2-3). Time is mostly set by me, based on lab needs, but aligned with students interests and skills. The 5 hours does not include time on independent projects.
Mentorship: Typically, each grad student mentors two undergrads.
Publications: No rigid rules; depends on student goals. In general, most students submit one first-author paper per year.
Conferences: No specific requirements, but most students present at one conference per year.
Communication: Respond to emails within two business days, participate in group chats (can be within work hours).
Independent Data Collection Projects: Strongly encouraged but not required.
Collaboration With Other Mentors: Strongly encouraged.
What Students Can Expect from the Lab Community
A team that values belonging and understands the stakes of doing anti-racism research in a hostile political climate.
Peer mentorship, mutual support, and accountability.
Space to bring your full self your values, identities, and lived experiences are part of the work.
What Success Looks Like to Dr. Mekawi
Producing high-quality, interesting, and thoughtful scholarship on racism and anti-racism
Growing into a confident researcher, clinician, and advocate who can navigate professional challenges.
Leaving the program with strong publications, professional connections, and a clear sense of career direction.
The “Am I a Good Fit” Checklist
Research Orientation
Do you value research and view it as an integral part of your long-term career goals?
Are you interested in investing in the mentorship relationship, viewing it as a long-term partnership characterized by mutual respect, honesty, and transparency?
Do you value mentoring undergraduate students as part of your own professional development?
Do you enjoy engaging deeply with complex and uncomfortable topics related to oppression?
Community and Relational Orientation
Are you interested in “showing up” for the lab community, including supporting and celebrating fellow graduate and undergraduate students?
Do you collaborate well with others?
Are you responsive to communication?
Above all, are you reliable, reflective, and eager to contribute to the lab’s mission in a way that builds both your own career and the collective success of the team?
Accountability, Reflection, and Adaptability
Do you appreciate frequent reflection about yourself, your goals, your identity, the mentorship relationship, and the lab?
Do you have the goal of holding yourself accountable (e.g., recognizing mistakes, accepting consequences)?
Do you tend to approach feedback with curiosity, rather than defensiveness and disengagement?
Do you tend to take initiative, but also recognize when you need guidance/support?
Assuming there is a safe place to do so, are you open/honest about your progress and challenges?
Are you adaptable in response to changes in lab needs, your goals, and undergraduate mentees’ goals?
The more yes’s, the better of a fit you are! But don’t worry - a “yes” for each one is simply not possible so if this page hasn’t scared you away, you should DEFINITELY apply.
If you would like to receive a copy of the COLOR lab handbook, which details lab expectations, important policies, and guidelines, please ask Dr. Mekawi (yara.mekawi@louisville.edu).
Curious about how Dr. Mekawi evaluates grad student applicants? See this work-in-progress evaluation document!
Need a way to organize all of your grad school applications? See this grad school tracker document!
For a list of other grad school application resources, check this out and also check this out.