Quality of life: The heart of the matter
How my chronic disease has driven me to live more, not less, in graduate school and beyond
Most of the children showed off a favorite toy. Some brought items that were meaningful to their family or culture. When I got to the front of my kindergarten class, my hands were empty. “My show-and-tell is…me!” I exclaimed as I pulled up my shirt and bared my chest to an audience of shocked five-year-olds […]
From a wish on a wall to a dream come true!
How I navigated through my dream of studying at MIT
“Well, this sounds like music to my ears, because this is exactly why we created edX,” said President Reif when I told him how the edX courses I took back in 2015 played a pivotal role in guiding my aspirations. Meeting President Reif during GSC Orientation In 2015, as an undergrad deciding whether to major […]
Following your fascinations for a fulfilling future!
How chasing his curiosity fulfilled a 13-year-old’s dream
From the moment I realized the significance of the sequence of events I am about to narrate, I wanted to save this story for my thesis defense speech. As I start the 6th year of my PhD, however, I can’t contain the excitement anymore. When I learned this blog post would be read by hundreds […]
Letters to a young engineer
My journey from school to industry, and back again
Well, you finally made it. A well-paying job at a world-renowned company, a 9-5 (ish) lifestyle, actually having weekends — weekends! — to spend on life rather than homework, all conveniently located in one of the best cities on Earth. It’s what your parents always hoped for you, what your professors always promised was just […]
Why I left the tech industry for grad school
“Why are you leaving your job?” “Don’t you make enough money?” “Why would you leave a big tech company?” “Are you going for a bigger paycheck? You must be stuck at the same level.” “What?! You said you’re completely leaving the tech industry?” “Oh! PhD? Don’t you already do research at work? Everybody learns at […]
