Online Presence

My online presence involves LinkedIn, Handshake, Facebook, Instagram, and TRAIN/stem blog.

I started using Handshake and LinkedIn last year. Both platforms have helped me immensely because they’ve brought me closer to jobs and career opportunities. LinkedIn also allows me to follow and keep track of organizations, such as industry, government, or academia that I find interesting. It also helps me keep in touch with my peers and professionals in the field. I enjoy the connections I’ve made as well as updating my profile. For example, a new addition to my profile is a summer internship. It felt good to share my accomplishments on these platforms.

In regards to social media, I use it mostly to share pictures of my hiking adventures. I love hiking as well as taking pictures of anything and everything. So I feel that these are great platforms to share some beautiful photos. I also share pictures of my family and two dogs. But I have to say that I usually think twice about what I’m sharing. I worry about how it can affect my overall online presence. Especially, because I’ve heard that employers look up prospective employees online to learn more about them. And I always wonder if what I’m sharing is something that can potentially make me look good or bad. Not that I partake in bad stuff, but you never know how someone else may perceive something. So I believe it's important to be mindful about sharing.

Another platform I use is my STEM blog. I don’t use it as often but when I do, I write a lot. It seems that one prompt will send me on a spiral to 20 different ideas. It’s amazing how writing helps voice your thoughts. I’m hoping that as I’m entering my final semester as a TRAIN scholar I can blog a bit more. =)

Future goals

    It’s difficult to describe the position or job title I hope to be working in for the future. I don’t have a definite career goal. But I do have an idea of where I’d like to be. In a year I would like to have a job in the science field. Whether it's in research or a lab, I hope to be using the skills I’ve gained throughout my undergrad. In five years, I hope I would have decided on going to graduate school, either for a master's or Ph.D. And hopefully, in ten years I’ll be working at a job in research. When I imagine what that would look like I think of myself in a lab, looking over data, or walking through a field site collecting data. I hope to do meaningful research that can lead to public education that way we can be a more informed community.

    I think the biggest societal challenge will be climate change. I feel like most of the climate change issues are getting out of our control. Our way of life is affecting the environment and there’s no sign of it stopping anytime soon. I’m certain this will have negative impacts for generations ahead. I'd like to work on projects that will help better our environment and positively impact the future.

Three years

Three years ago… I knew biology was an extensive field that involved an understanding for how organisms function. It’s the study of life. 🌱

I was certain this field would be fulfilling for me because I always wondered about the things around me. I’d look at trees and wondered what it was that made them grow tall. Or why my little brother had so much energy. These may seem obvious to answer now, but a few years ago I had no idea. I knew plants were complex, but not that they, (like us) are part of a multicellular taxa called eukaryotes. I also knew my little brother ate, so he had energy but I never imagined that our bodies used bioenergetic processes to generate ATP. Over time I’ve collected tidbits of knowledge that have allowed me to better understand my surroundings. Now every time I see a tree or my brother filled with energy I have a “wow” moment because I understand and appreciate the science behind it.

In three years… I would like to learn how to mountain climb. This is a personal goal that I’ve been thinking about for a while. I enjoy hiking in the mountains, especially reaching high peaks. But now I think I’m ready to try something new. I’ve watched people mountain climb before and it seems like an exhilarating experience. I’ll probably start by going indoor climbing. I think the best way would be by joining a community of mountain climbers. This way they can teach me, give me tips, and it can become an enjoyable + safe experience.

 Hello everyone,

I hope you’re all doing well! 

There are a couple of reflective questions to answer for this blogpost.

Those who have encouraged me 💗

When asked about the person who helped me get to where I am today, I think of people and not a person. It’s my family. They have all been there for me in various ways. Not financially or through guidance, but just by their words of encouragement. I’m a first generation college student and the daughter of immigrants. So it’s been difficult to pave a path through academia. Figuring out how to enroll in college, pay for college, and be successful in my studies, I’ve learned through trial and error. Along the way, as I struggled, my family was always there to simply say, “si se puede” and “lucha por tus sueños”. Or, you can do it and fight for your dreams. Now before every test, during long hours of writing, or studying, their words echo in my mind. 

I am eternally grateful for them. 

When thinking about the advice I would give to my younger self. I would say stop worrying about the future. I know it’s good to have a plan and goals to strive for. But my thoughts and actions would almost always be directed towards the future. I would worry about things that haven’t happened yet or would think about what’s next. So, I wouldn’t live in the moment and enjoy the little things.

I would tell my younger self to be present when with family, friends, travelling, hiking, or just sitting down enjoying a coffee. It’s important to take time for yourself and be present in the moment.

Two more weeks?

 Hello  everyone,

I checked my December calendar this morning and saw that after today there will be two Fridays left of school. Well, at least for me because I have a final exam & papers due Dec. 4th. 

For some it may be earlier. But either way the feeling of "oh, the semester's wrapping up!?" is present and mutual. I hope you're all keeping a positive mindset too. Yes, grades may or may not be important but if anything, I learned how valuable it can be to end the semester on a positive note. 

Storytime: I received a bad grade in one of my classes, which really stressed me out and resulted in me forming many negative associations with the subject. It was so bad that now every time I think about genetics, I cringe. A year later, I wish I had at least tried to enjoy learning about the topic. That way I can happily recall ideas about it or feel comfortable talking about the topic with my peers.

A couple of things I'm trying this semester is to be patient with myself and also to make a study plan. First is writing down daily goals ensuring that I'm being honest with myself on what I can commit to on that given day. Then, crossing things off as I go. Whether it's just a two hour study session or one hour working on a rough draft, there was advancement and something got done. Then I can look forward to continuing it later in the day or the next day. 

Another important thing is patience. As the saying goes, "you are your own worst critic" so it's important to be patient with ourselves and be mindful of our capabilities while working through these final assignments. This way we can make realistic goals and maintain a positive mindset as we continue absorbing or reviewing information. 

I know this was a long one, but sharing my thoughts/goals has been helpful for me. And even if these are not helpful for you, at least know that you are not alone. I'm right there with you, feeling it and figuring it out too. Please reach out* and keep at it because we will get through this! The best we can do is enjoy the ride. 😎📚

*https://eoss.asu.edu/resources for anything you may need help with. Or reach out to me, I'd be happy to chat! 😊

Takeaway from October Lab Work

 Hello everyone!

For this blog I wanted to talk a bit about my thesis project. I started doing the lab work and my goal has been to complete the project within this month. 

It was fun thinking about designing the experiment, but I did need a lot of help from my project director, Dr. Polidoro. In fact, she pretty much guided me most of the way. I'm so very thankful for her expertise and patience when it came to designing the experiment. I've been in her lab for a year now and I feel comfortable doing a couple of the protocols on my own. But with being a bio major, I still struggle with some environmental chemistry concepts. This is where I've understood the importance in asking questions. Even if I felt like they may not be important or that I should know this already, I still asked anyway. 

So if there is a big takeaway for me during this months' thesis work, it's the importance in asking as many questions as possible. It is a learning experience after all. Doing this has helped broaden my understanding, cover all the basics, and learn from someone who been in the same shoes. 

I'm sharing an image of my samples in jars, dosed with pesticides. I'll keep you posted on my project in another blog!

It's all about the Mindset

Hello everyone!

I hope you're all doing well. I wanted to talk a bit about my thoughts on the growth mindset. When I first read Mindset by Carol Dweck, I agreed with everything and concluded that I had a growth mindset. And so that was that. 

But I was so wrong in assuming this. Because I truly don't know everything there is to know about it. Recently, I understood my error and the value of the growth mindset. I found that I was quick to dismiss it and didn't challenge myself enough to see if I could integrate different aspects of it. 

I believe this led me to where I am today, where I've been expressing symptoms of a fixed mindset. It's difficult to pinpoint how or when, but I became weary of challenges, gave up easily, and accepted failures as defeat. For example, I didn't do as well as I had hoped on an exam and this brought me on a spiral of failure. My first thought was that this exam determined the outcome of the semester. It was a dogma of pass or fail. This was definitely affecting how I handle school, work, and stress. 

Recently, I've picked up the Mindset book and it helped me reflect on my assumption and how easily one could slip into a fixed mindset. So far, it's helped me recognize what I can change and demonstrate ways to integrate a growth mindset. I look forward to working through it. 

My takeaway from this experience is to not assume that I have all the answers and to keep an open mind. And also, to not be so harsh on myself and forgive, then move forward.

I'm sharing an image that helps me stay focused on what I want to work on. I wish you all the best in your endeavors! 😊