“Before I worked with Dr. Smith, I didn’t know how to think about a dissertation–what it should look like, how to plan it out, etc… As a result of our coaching sessions, I’ve been able to frame up what needs to be done in a tidy fashion that gets me on the road to finishing my program as soon as possible. I unreservedly recommend Dr. Smith for anyone who wants great advice and encouragement in charting the course of their next steps in their doctoral program.”

– Chauncey Handy, Ph.D. Candidate, Princeton Theological Seminary

“As a doctoral candidate, I hit a wall in my writing and was frustrated with not knowing how to proceed. Dr. Smith thought through practical approaches with me that helped me to identify the areas of my research planning, outlining, and my schedule that I needed to address and helped me come up with practical solutions. With her insight and with her as a source for accountability, I ended up doing more work in six months on my dissertation than I had done in the previous one and a half years. Her method enabled me to re-identify my passion for my research and to pursue it with joy and purposefulness, knowing I had her help if things got murky again, as well as her encouragement. I highly recommend Dr. Smith and her services!”

– Elyse Ambrose, Ph.D.

“I can say without the slightest tint of resignation that Dr. Shanell Smith’s impact on my orientation towards the scholarly vocation is singular… Though the professional advice Dr. Smith provided me with had proven to be second-to-none, it is her ability to challenge graduate students to seek a wholistic, integrated approach to our profession that makes her a singular influence upon my life… Because of Dr. Smith’s advice, I have maintained an integrated philosophy of the scholarly vocation which, in turn, has allowed me to function more productively as a graduate student precisely because I am able to pursue my goals within a family that has claimed peace as our principle portion. Oftentimes, I find myself wondering aloud where my career and family would be if Dr. Smith never took the time to pour into a nervous and self-doubting first generation Black grad student. Thanks be to God, I guess we’ll never know.”

– James Howard Hill, Jr.