Navigating the hidden curriculum of graduate education can be daunting, especially for students from historically marginalized backgrounds who may lack the social and cultural capital to thrive in STEM's apprenticeship training model. To bridge this gap, Science Communication Lab and WISCIENCE developed Build Your Research Community, a free, interactive online course designed to empower students transitioning into life-science graduate programs. Through engaging videos, reflective questions, and online discussions, the course guides students in establishing and maintaining healthy mentoring relationships, particularly with primary research advisors. Pilot-tested over two years with promising results—including 75% of students finding the content relevant and reporting significant gains in achieving the learning objectives—the course demonstrates its effectiveness in enhancing science identity and mentoring skills. Join us to explore how this evidence-based resource can be integrated into your research training curriculum to support and empower the next generation of scientists.