Short Conclusion

On the bus for our last night on the town!

To be honest, I've been putting off writing this post. Mostly just because I'm so sad that my New York experience is over. Here I am, sitting on my couch at home, just wishing I was still exploring that massive city and enjoying weather that isn't 102 degrees every day. But all good things must come to an end, and my summer at Albert Einstein is now over.







Of course, I have so many wonderful memories of the people I met and the things I did. You can fit a surprising amount of exploration into 2 months worth of weekends in Manhattan.

More friends!

But now that the poster session is over and my research there is complete, it's time to move on to my future challenges. I have my final year at the University of Texas to look forward to! I'll be working on my senior research thesis, joining the junior fellows honors group, and researching further into graduate schools to apply to. It's all very exciting stuff in my opinion.

Still, I will miss everyone at Einstein and I hope we find a way to meet up again!

Summer: A time for self-reflection

A shot of downtown Manhattan from the World Trade Center (40th floor).

So it's been almost 2 weeks since my last post. Things have been chugging along quite nicely in the lab and I feel like my research experience has helped me to re-evaluate my current career trajectory. As my mom can attest, I spent about the first 2 weeks here freaking out about what exactly I want to do with my life. I've always made the assumption that I would go on to a PhD program, work as a postdoc, and eventually become a research professor. But truth is, life is never so easily mapped out. I've had multiple occasions here at Einstein where I realized that there are a plethora of places I could end up and still be happy.

Our visit to the WTC was thanks to a panel the SURP program took us to, regarding MD/PhD programs.

The trick is knowing what I love to do. I love to learn new things (hence why research excites me so much). I love teaching things I've picked up to others (thus, my preference for gaining some kind of position as an instructor). I love neuroscience (and I plan on never leaving the field!).

During my time in NYC, I've certainly been trying lots of
new, delicious foods! Here is a picture from Max Brenners
(a chocolate restaurant) where I had a S'mores Sunday.

But these three passions can all be met by a variety of jobs and opportunities. That's what this summer is teaching me to see- that I have so many possibilities ahead of me and I should evaluate all of them before making any assumptions about the right path for me.

All this being said, I still am DEFINITELY getting a PhD. I don't think I could be happy without becoming an expert in my field and having all the experiences associated with doing your own research experiment. So, I will continue to peruse graduate school applications during my lunch break and enjoy every opportunity here in the 'Empire State.'

The Manhattan skyline from rooftop...

...before the grand fireworks from the Hudson River.

And let's not forget, I've gotten to see some old friends from ATX!

PS- My old roomie, Kelsey, met the folks from Radiolab to which I must admit I am eternally jealous. If they ever need a correspondent in Texas, I'll gladly work for them for free! Just saying....

And to make my 4th of July weekend complete, a
wonderful trip out to Bear Mountain for lovely hiking!