May 26

What Comes Next

Hi everyone,

To simply state it, summer is here and I will be logging off until August and until the next semester comes back around. It seems so long from now, but I’m sure in time this will seem like “just yesterday” in three months and as exciting as that is, it’s also kind of nerve wrecking.

I have so many plans for this summer!! A lot of them will include simply making contact with a lot of professors from PhD programs of interest to me. This isn’t a requirement for all PhD programs, but many do encourage PhD applicants to reach out to professors from that program and find a research commonality. I have my heart set on one program in particular (****) but I am going to give myself the option to explore so many other programs. I don’t want to let my own feelings cloud my prospects. I would let the bear out of the bag but once process gets nearer :)! I also don’t know if my goal is to start a PhD program in fall 2021 either. I have so much figuring out to do, but I think I will be applying nonetheless. I also am going to be looking into fellowship/internships/volunteerships. I want to put my education to work but not necessarily by joining the 9-5 life just yet! I want to travel, learn, give back, and if there are any opportunities out there, please do not hesitate to let me know :)!

That said, this summer is also going to be a summer of SELF-CARE. I am going to make it my mission to change so many things about me. From my diet to my social media habits, things are going to change for the better. I want to dedicate x amount of time doing things (consistently) that will help me in the future. This not only includes physical activities, but also mental ones such as practicing or reciting a new word in German or French or Portuguese. With all the time spent at home, I want to pick up a new skill and why not try to learn a new language while getting back to running a few miles a week? I also want to better my Spanish so I will be taking advantage of Amazon Prime and setting up a Kindle account AND the online data base CSU Stan offers students to read articles, journals, book chapters, and whatever else I can access! I am going to focus so much time reading and I am so excited!! I feel that through reading for leisure, my writing will improve and that is another objective of mine for this summer. This is also something I want to improve in general and in particular for PhD applications! I want to learn how to write about myself in a way that tells a story, not in a way that is so academic and so “stiff”.

There are so many things I want to do summer 2020 I don’t even know where to begin. I am definitely eager for this summer, though, because unless I start a PhD program fall 2021, this will be my last official summer as a student for a while and I’m scared!! Every summer, the months of May-August represent time to rejuvenate my spirits and mind. I am not reading for my summer to be just another few months in the year… that is something I’m looking forward to just yet.

Well, thank you all for joining me this semester!! I can’t wait to be back and give everyone updates on things I’ve worked on :)!!

May 26

To the Class of 2020

To the Class of 2020:

Congratulations!! You all MADE IT :)!

 

Even if we are in the middle of a pandemic, you should still be proud of yourself and take some time to celebrate your accomplishments! If you are in high school and will soon be matriculating to CSU Stan, a city college student who just completed their Associates, or a college senior who just completed all requirements for their major, this is your moment and no pandemic can dull your success!

This, in so many ways, is just the beginning of a new and exciting chapter that awaits you all! I know when I graduated high school, I thought things would just continue as normal. When I graduated from undergrad, same thing. Each time, I was proven wrong. Nothing continued as normal. My life had taken on a whole new course of its own. I saw this in a change of daily routine, a complete change in friends, and goals no longer being so hypothetical and out of reach. With each accomplishment, everything made much more sense and my objectives much more tangible. I am confident that pandemic or not, you are much closer to reaching your goals than you were months ago. So hello!! Let’s celebrate that!

I hope these next few weeks are time of reflection and acceptance of having succeeded! Every finish line we cross is never too small to be proud of. You did it and I’m proud of you :)! I can’t wait to see future Warriors at CSU Stan! 🙂

May 19

A Note to Incoming First-Gen, CSU Stan Students

As I sit here today, now having finished my first year of grad school, I am look back at the years and months leading up to my freshman year of college, and I find that I cannot be more proud of myself for this huge accomplishment in my life.

Growing up as a first-generation (everything), I was exposed to so many struggles, including school deficiencies. As I reflect, I accept that I thought I’d never enroll in college, and while I want to be upset at myself for those thoughts, a much more youthful, less aware, and lost me refused to give in and pushed through. Therefore, I cannot be upset, as the tenacity within me jumped out and prevailed.

For those of you who are still working towards your degree, or are in high-school and dreaming about achieving a higher education, don’t relinquish that. It all starts with an idea or a dream. Education is a door, kick it open. The struggles, the one too many school deficiencies, and many other aspects of my upbringing are all experiences that should make us eager and ambitious to pursue a higher education.

All I’ve endured has taught me about resilience, humility, dedication, and discipline. This pandemic has only pronounced that. I thought there was no way I would be able to commit to my education any longer now that everything is online, but I refuse to give up. I still have the privilege to pursue my masters, and I am not going to allow that opportunity go in vain. I am going to take it and run with it.

To all the incoming CSU Stan students, welcome to a new beginning and era in your life. What you’ll find at Stan State is that unlike many other schools where your time as a student can easily be buried in silence, is a university built with the student experience anchored in every possible way. At Stan, your voice will be elevated, your needs will be met, and your goals will be accomplished. To all the incoming CSU Stan students, especially those who’ve been faced with one too many obstacles leading up to where you are now, the student experience is yours and mold it the way you see fit! These next few years will be all yours. You got this!

May 13

The Last Stretch

Hi everyone,

With only one class left to Zoom through, I am on hours away from completing my first year of graduate school!

I’m honestly kind of at lost of words. I did not think it would end like this (at all) but I’m still very excited to almost be done with the semester. It has been long, demanding, and I wouldn’t change it for anything else. While there were definitely times I did not think I would get assignments done or turned in on time, I somehow managed to pull through and submit things on a timely manner. I am grateful for this school year, honestly. It has taught me about my ability to hang in there during a global pandemic! I genuinely thought I would have succumbed to the pressures of online learning, but I preserved and thrived. I never believed I could do that. I am definitely someone who needs the physical space and environment of a university setting to keep up with deadlines and assignments. I also am someone who is able to leave the personal behind when I am in class on my university’s campus. It’s almost like I become a whole other person once I’m at school. With this shelter in place order, I had to reconfigure that ability. I had to somehow be a student at home and that was at times much more difficult than I expected it to. However tedious it was though, I did it!  I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a student at Stan State, I don’t know if I would have managed so well elsewhere.

I can’t believe I am already celebrating ~almost~ being done with my first year of undergrad!! I can still remember celebrating the “last stretch” during my first year of undergrad. In the moment, that final stretch was intimidating, but today I can’t help but miss all the moments that made up that one larger moment. As a first generation student, the entire college experience has been new to me each and every term. Incoming students are always told about how good it is to go to college, but no one really tells you about the excitement of almost being DONE with your first year, arguably one of the most difficult ones too due to everything being so new to you. There I was, 19 years old, and ready to take my last final in one of the larger classrooms. I still remember the feeling of everyone walking towards class, a room that sat over 100 students. Although we did not stop to speak to one another, I felt like we were all in that together. It was a beautiful moment!

Today I am celebrating the last stretch and even though it’s a whole different setting, it is still just as meaningful. Every small win is part of the larger victory, and I am ready.