In this week's episode of Beyond the Thesis With Papa PhD, I sat down with the Dominique Louër, a 4th-year PhD candidate at McGill University. Dominique shared her journey as a first-gen graduate student overcoming multiple challenges, from losing a supervisor to facing down imposter syndrome. Despite the hurdles she faced, Dominique championed a passion for neurolinguistics and clinched victory at the recent McGill 3MT final. Her resilience and the importance of mentorship and community in navigating academia shone through her story and will be an inspiration to you. Join us to hear Dominique's invaluable insights on pushing past adversity and thriving in pursuit of academic and personal growth! Dominique is a fourth-year PhD candidate in Communication Sciences and Disorders at McGill University, specializing in neurolinguistics. Her research explores the intersection of bilingualism, brain function, and aging. She completed her undergraduate studies in linguistics at the University of Winnipeg and went on to earn two master’s degrees at the University of Waterloo in linguistics and psychology, respectively. Drawing from her multidisciplinary background in linguistics and psychology, she advocates for holistic aging solutions, emphasizing the importance of factors like bilingualism in maintaining cognitive health. In her spare time, Dominique enjoys spending time outside, drinking overpriced lattes with friends, and bouldering. What we covered in the interview: Resilience in Adversity: Dominique opens up about negative feedback in her early educational experiences, her battle with an autoimmune disease post-COVID-19, and a challenging  change of supervisor mid-PhD.Passion as a Driving Force: Despite hurdles, her love for research and he passion for exploring the intersections of bilingualism, brain function, and aging keeps her driven. Dominique's determination to contribute holistic solutions to aging and cognitive health fuels her motivation.A Positive Mindset: Dominique recently won a 3-minute thesis competition, exemplifying her ability to effectively communicate complex scientific ideas. Her story is a testament to the power of perseverance and positive outlook.🔗See the resources section below for links! This episode’s resources: Dominique Louër | Twitter Thank you, Dominique Louër! If you enjoyed this conversation with Dominique, let her know by clicking the link below and leaving her a message on Linkedin:Send Dominique Louër a thank you message on Linkedin!Click here to share your key take-away from this interview with David! Leave a review on Podchaser ! Support the show ! You might also like the following episodes: Sue Ashford – Preparing for life as a PhDJessica Schleider  –Dealing With Mental Unrest in Graduate SchoolSheena Howard – How to Leverage Academic BrandingMelissa Gismondi – The Power of Graduate InternshipsAs always, if you find value in Papa PhD and in the content I bring you every week, click on one of the buttons below and send some of that value back to me by becoming a supporter on Patreon or by buying me a coffee :) Support the show on Patreon ! Or buy me a coffee :)