A few months ago, one of my fellow graduate students was offered an incredible career-building opportunity. His efforts on a student-led campaign to increase federal funding for basic research had led to an invitation to speak on a conference panel about health research advocacy. He would have a prominent platform to share his work with a large audience, and he would get to meet and network with leaders in the field. It would look great on his CV. I was happy for him, of course; he deserved it. But my feelings were complicated. I had been an equal partner in the campaign. I felt that I deserved the same opportunity. Yet I hadn't been invited, and I wasn't sure why.