All in on MIT as a 1st-gen PhD
How an unexpected, last-minute campus tour changed my life's trajectory
Everyone has heard the expression, “It’s never a good idea to put all your eggs in one basket.” This is a wise piece of advice—unless we’re talking about your dream grad school! Hello, my name is Annabel Gomez. I’m a first-generation Mexican American and the first in my family to pursue higher education. Growing up, […]
I can see clearly now
Getting contact lenses and defining a research vision
Over the winter break, I got contact lenses for the first time. Putting them in produced an effect like removing a plastic sheet from before my eyes. Every detail, even in the distance, was crisp and clear. When driving, I could read the small print on signs, and in the mirror I saw every pore […]
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 […]
