It is a new year, and even though I’m not big on celebrating an arbitrary timepoint on the Earth’s path around the sun, I still think it’s a good opportunity to stop and reflect on what’s been going on for the past year.
2022 started with me going into the stem cell lab and starting my research there. This was really exciting since it felt like I was finally starting my thesis project, but also really intimidating since I was learning so many new things and working with different people. I’m still amazed that I did that! I was also taking a super difficult course at the time, which did not help with my stress levels, but the curve came through and I did really well somehow.
2022 was also when I started playing with community bands! I tried two local bands and while I didn’t fall in love with either of them, I have made so many more music connections and have had a lot of fun.
Over the summer I participated in Shakespeare in the Arb for the first time and had my largest acting role to date. It was honestly so fun and I made so many friends though this experience! I really cannot say enough about how happy I am that I did it.
I also realized this year that I want to medically transition to look more androgenous and match my gender a little better. I have already started that process, hopefully 2023 will complete it, but that was a scary and stressful thing to even just acknowledge.
Which takes us to the fall. I moved my cells back to the main lab and started what is essentially my own stem cell lab! This was new and while I definitely hit some potholes in the road overall I think it’s going really well! I even got a very fancy grant funded so I’ll have money for the rest of my PhD!
I also was able to teach the undergrad genetics course this fall, to finally FINALLY get teaching experience in a classroom setting. And I loved it! It just confirmed that this is what I want to do for my career. I’m hoping that in 2023 I’ll get more clarity on what my next steps should be, but that was a long time coming and I’m very excited to see what comes next.
Wow, what a year! So many things happened. Here’s to more
good things to come!
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