Posts

My Online Presence

Currently, my online presence feels pretty meager. On a personal level, I have a couple of social media accounts for sharing information. I have a private Facebook where I am connected to a small group of friends and family. There, I primarily give the occasional life update and I share jokes and memes that I think people would appreciate. I have an Instagram account where I share artwork, but since I haven’t had the time or inclination to create art lately, my posts have been very sporadic at best. On a professional level, I have LinkedIn and Handshake accounts to share my academic and professional life. In all honesty, those were only created as assignments for class, so I haven’t been very diligent in keeping them up to date and active. I feel like the information presented on those accounts is sparse and that I need to find ways to bulk up my experiences. However, in my defense, the current COVID pandemic has made it difficult to obtain those experiences. Being on campus this semes...
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Thinking About the Future

 I always find it difficult to imagine what the future will look like. Whenever I'm asked questions like "Where do you see yourself in five years?" my first thought is that there's no way I can answer that. Five years is a long time and so many things can happen between now and then. But I'm learning to think of it more as a kind of visualization of where I would like to be in the future.  Professionally, in one year, I should be one semester away from graduating with my bachelor's degree in Forensic Science. In five years, I hope to be knee-deep into a Ph.D. program in anthropology. In ten years, I hope to either be at the tail-end of the Ph.D. program or be beginning work as a Forensic Anthropologist, assisting law enforcement. Ideally I would like to make an impact on the field by contributing research that improves identification methods so that there are fewer and fewer people who go unidentified in death. The societal challenges that matter to me are iss...
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Learning, Past and Future

Three years ago, I had a basic understanding of what Forensic Anthropology was. Of course, I'd seen shows like "Bones" which centers around an anthropologist who works with the FBI (and writes novels on the side), and although I know that shows often exaggerate and sensationalize the work of forensics, the basics of the profession are there. So I knew that things like biological sex and ancestry could be determined through the examination of certain bones. Then I took an introductory course on Forensic Anthropology at GCC that showed me there is so much more information contained within our bones. The story of our life can be found in our bones. In addition to age, biological sex, ancestry, and height, they can offer clues to our hobbies and occupations as areas of bone build up or wear away from repeated movements, our past and present illnesses, our childhood circumstances if we grow up without a healthy diet, and potentially how we die. I found that incredibly fascinat...
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Gratitude & Advice

I have always struggled with anxiety and depression. As I got older, they got worse and worse until they became debilitating and negatively impacted my relationships. My partner Jonxe had gone back to school for a degree in psychology and when they graduated, I realized that going back to school was something I really wanted. I realized I needed to seek treatment for my depression and anxiety in order to be able to do so. Jonxe has been supportive throughout, helping me when I'm struggling with mental health issues as well as anything school related. I'm very grateful to have someone in my life who not only understands what I'm going through, but who I can rely on when I need help. The most important advice I would give to my younger self is that it is okay to ask for help. For so long I struggled unnecessarily and I can't help but think of the wasted years before I was put on medication. Seeking help and treatment for your mental health is no different than seeking med...
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December 2020

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 This Is It! This is officially the last day of the semester. I made it! Not gonna lie, there was some doubt there for a little while. I am so ready for the break before the next semester starts. I'm planning to catch up on sleep, reading, and household chores. But let's be honest, it's mostly about the sleep.  I hope my STEM-TRAIN colleagues have a nice decompression break, and I look forward to seeing them again next semester.
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November 2020

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 Happy Thanksgiving! I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. I found the short break from school responsibilities very much needed. I feel like after a very stressful and overwhelming month and a half that I've been able to recharge a bit.  That recharged energy is going to be needed as we now go into the final week and the finals included within. I have a big final paper to write and two final exams to take this week. Thankfully, one of those exams is open-book/note "take-home," so that helps to reduce a good chunk of stress.  Just one more week. Let's do this!
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October 2020

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 Happy Halloween!  October is coming to a close and we'll be going into the final month of the semester.  October has been a rough month for me. I've struggled with the mid-semester slump, falling behind in a couple classes. I've also been dealing with a death in my immediate family this month, which has made it more difficult to stay afloat. But things are getting better and I am committed to finishing out the semester. Registration for Spring 2021 went well, and I was able to get all the classes I need. The semester is going to be lab-heavy, but I think that's just a necessary reality for my major, Forensic Science. I will need to continue to work on my time management skills to make sure I stay on top of things. One more month to go!
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