About a week late, but it's always better late than never! Well we survived what many are saying is one of the worst years ever. Bye 2016, hello 2017! But in all honesty, this was probably one of the best years I've had, at least school/career wise. So things are about to get personal here, so stick with me if you want!
One of the most popular sayings every new year is the whole, "new year, new me!" thing. While I think it is a good opportunity to change yourself for the better, I'm very happy with who I am and where I am in my life. 2016 was a year of filled with stress and excitement. I was applying for PhD programs and national scholarships at the same time; I was blessed to be able to travel all over the United States for conferences and interviews, generously supported by my university and the universities I was applying to; and I will forever remember the moment I found out I received the Fulbright scholarship, sitting in a hotel room in Seattle with my sister, her roommate, and my cousin.
However, while 2016 has been good to me, I really am excited to see what 2017 brings. I'll receive a master's degree (at least, if all goes to plan these next few months!), move back to the United States, and start the last (ish) stage of my education in Florida. I have a feeling that it's going to go by really quickly, so I'm going to be really cheesy and say I'm going to cherish every moment of it.
I think I'll just offer a preview of what's to come in these next few months with Fulbright and studying in Leicester. Tomorrow I will begin my independent research project, which begins the stressful but exciting process of developing my thesis, which will hopefully lead to me being awarded my master's degree. I'm very excited about this, as independent research is definitely a strength of mine. For the first time I'll be working in a clinical-based lab too, which is something I've never done but am thankful for the opportunity.
My research will likely dominate my life in the coming months, but since it is an independent project, I will have much more flexibility in my schedule. Because of this, I'm hoping to be able to travel more, both around the UK and in Europe. I've never been to mainland Europe (besides a layover in Amsterdam that I don't count), so I'm looking forward to that opportunity. I'm also going to try to go to an international conference while I'm here, one because I love going to conferences, and two I think it will be different than all other conferences I've attended in the states.
That's what I have planned for myself right now. I'm not a resolution-making person, so sadly I can't share any of that. But I suppose my goals are to graduate (seems obvious enough) and take full advantage of living in England for the seven months that remain.
Thank you to those who have been reading my blog thus far, and I hope I will write posts more regularly in these next few months (which sounds pretty close to a resolution)!
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