Equal Justice Fellowship helps senior Nithila Chrisostam pursue graduate study

When senior Nithila Chrisostam began preparing her graduate school applications, she discovered the process required not only strong academic preparation but also significant financial resources. Support from the UD’s Sociology and Criminal Justice (SOCICJ) Equal Justice Fellowship helped make that next step possible.

Christostam is an honors student who is double majoring in sociology and psychology, with minors  in anthropology and history. “I didn’t realize how expensive graduate school applications were and how expensive exams like the GRE or LSAT could be. The fellowship offered extra financial support that I really needed,” she said.

Christostam’s long-term goal is to pursue doctoral study in interdisciplinary fields such as comparative human development and cultural psychology, areas that combine her interests across the social sciences.

Her passion for interdisciplinary research was shaped in part by her international experiences. She studied abroad in New Zealand during her first semester as a freshman and later conducted research in India and Japan. These experiences introduced her to collaborative and cross-cultural research environments and strengthened her interest in pursuing interdisciplinary scholarship.

This year, Chrisostam navigated the graduate school application process without many familiar reference points. Although her parents completed their bachelor’s degrees outside the United States, the U.S. graduate application system was new to her family. From identifying strong programs to reaching out to faculty members and preparing application materials, much of the process required her to learn as she went.

Thanks to the SOCICJ Equal Justice Fellowship Chrisostam was able to apply to more programs and consider a wider range of opportunities. She has been accepted to the Master of Arts in Social Sciences program at the University of Chicago and is awaiting decisions from several other programs.

Beyond helping cover test preparation and application costs, the fellowship also expanded access to opportunities that would have been difficult to pursue otherwise. As someone interested in a future in academia and research, Chrisostam hopes to contribute to fields where individuals from her background remain underrepresented and to advocate for greater educational equity.

As she prepares to graduate, Chrisostam also offers advice to students navigating their academic journeys.

“Give yourself some grace,” she said. “Not every plan will work out, but whatever does happen, trust that you will make the best of it. Go at your own pace and trust yourself.”