Acceptance to a PhD Program
I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Japanese and Asian Studies in May of 2010. I had no job prospects and I was confused about what I wanted to do after I graduated. Did I want to try to get into medical school? Did I want to put my resume on Monster.com and try to get a Japanese translating job? Or did I want to try to go back to school for something else? Regardless of what I chose, I knew I had to move back into my parents' house when my lease in Lafayette was up in July. It just so happened that everything fell into place so that I could go back to school at Indiana University Southeast for a different degree. But what would I get a new degree in?After going back and thinking about my career desires, I decided to pursue a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. I acquired that degree on May 11, 2015. Thanks to the tight-knit community at IUS, I also earned a certificate for undergraduate research that I did with a faculty member. The road has been long, extremely bumpy at times, and seemingly never-ending. But, here I sit, as a future student of the University of Alabama at Birmingham pursuing her Ph.D. in the Genetics, Genomics, and Bioinformatics program. I honestly never considered that I was capable of getting this far in my academic career.
I'll be moving to Birmingham in July. My fiance, Vanessa, is going to share in this adventure with me. I'm so excited to be able to start a new life with her in a new place. Our place. There are many people who have supported me along the way, but I wouldn't want to do this without Vanessa. She has her own wonderful, new plans for herself when we move. I'm just as excited for her as I am for myself.
Luckily, I have family living near Birmingham. I don't know what to expect yet, but I feel comfortable knowing that I'll have all of the support I will need there. Vanessa and I recently rented a beautiful apartment in the hills of the city. I'll be sure to post pictures when we have them!
