It's a New Year!

Hello everyone,

I hope you all had a wonderful break and first week of the spring semester. In all, it feels good to be back. I look forward to all the new experiences this semester will bring.

 I mostly blog about the exciting science-filled parts of my research intern endeavors, but I'd like to also speak of the things that happen underneath the surface. These are things that we all may experience, the challenge that we go through to get to the goal.
I've had my fair share of troubles while being in college. But nothing prepared me for last semester. It was probably one of the toughest semesters I've had. I was mostly going through personal family stuff, that affected every aspect of my life. I was also afraid to tell anyone, so I kept my struggles to myself.
Coming back from break, on the first day of classes, I felt fear by just remembering everything that happened and how I had to go through it again. There was a fear of the challenge ahead. By being in this mindset I felt paralyzed, filled with negative thoughts of failure and unable to see the goal ahead. After sharing this feeling with those around me and getting thoughtful advice, I was able to change my mindset. Today, I'm embracing the challenge and using my fear as something to overcome. I know it'll be tough but that's what happens with growth. From my experience, I wanted to share the importance there is in having a support system, a group of individuals who can help you see things from a different perspective. I believe there's also significance in maintaining a growth mindset throughout our academic endeavors. I mean, we've made it this far, we can make to our end goal!

"You don't just wake up and become the butterfly. Growth is a process" -Rupi Kaur