I Went to Grad School in Boston
Mr. M fell in the shower. His home caregiver found him on the floor. It was unclear whether he had hit his head, passed out, felt faint or short of breath, had chest pain, experienced an aura, or simply lost his balance. Mr. M has Alzheimer’s disease, and cannot remember what caused him to fall— […]
Centering Myself by Looking Up
A Story About My Journey Into Birdwatching
Having just started a graduate program in a new city, one of the questions I’ve been asked most over the last few months is “Where are you from?” I usually take a quick beat, chuckle, exhale, and then say “Well … it’s complicated, but I was born in and grew up in New York, and […]
Digital Dumpster Diving
A Grad Student’s Guide to Facebook Marketplace
I’m unreasonably proud of furnishing almost my entire apartment with second-hand finds. I learned the joy of sifting through discarded items on the side of the road early on. It was quite often that on the way home from soccer practice my parents would pull the car over to inspect a piece of furniture or […]
The art of balance: A myth or reality?
Lessons from a third year PhD student
As a graduate student at MIT, the concept of balance is often discussed as something we should strive for. But is it truly achievable? Can we truly balance our academic responsibilities, research projects, and personal lives? As someone who enjoys nature, exercise, traveling, cooking, and other non-research related activities, I was curious to find a […]
small silver slivers
finding the bright spots in a dark time
It was dark. Like the smallest sliver of a crescent moon, my roommate’s face was barely illuminated by the flickering glow of the twenty-six candles before her. It was just enough to see her manage a smile, lean forward, and, in a plume of smoke, send us into darkness again. It wasn’t the birthday she […]
