Academic Reflections from a Second-year Master's Student at UPenn

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” ― Ferris Bueller

It’s hard to believe but two academic school years have gone and passed… and so has my time here at Penn GSE as a master’s student! Around two years ago, I started my graduate school life journey here in Philly. I was nervous and excited. Looking back on these past two years, I realized that I got to know myself better, including what I really want in life, and what I wish to explore more of! I would like to share some of my reflections with you.

• Speak up.
  It has been my experience that if you never speak up, you will miss out on several potential possibilities. While there is no guarantee that speaking up will get you what you want, there is a 100% guarantee that by not sharing, you will not get it. It doesn’t hurt to speak up if you need support or advice. By the same token, don’t be afraid to share your opinions and passions with the rest of the world! For instance, I have always wanted to try spoken word poetry but didn’t have the courage to do so (I am a bit shy about vocally sharing my writing). However, in my last semester of graduate school, I coincidentally stumbled across a flyer from The Excelano Project, a spoken word student club at Penn, through an email via the Kelly Writers House. They were hosting an open mic event that would allow any Penn student to perform their spoken word poetry. I took a deep, deep breath and decided to sign up. The rest is history.  The experience brought me such gratitude and joy and made me fall even more in love with spoken word poetry, and the rest of the creative arts.  
• You are going to make mistakes sometimes.
  Believe it or not, you are going to make mistakes sometimes. And believe it or not, that is completely okay. When that happens, please know that you are on your way to becoming a better person. Don’t feel ashamed or embarrassed because of a mistake you made. Mistakes are called mis-takes for a reason–they are to be learned from (missed some takes? You can do them again)! Forgive yourself and try again. At the same time, also learn to forgive others when they make mistakes–it is for the best. Don’t be too hard on yourself, particularly in moments when you can’t decide what choice to make–life, after all, is about trial and error. Trying is enough. It is impossible to know everything all the time. The point is to learn along the way. For instance, my program’s capstone project required me to record a presentation and it took me several tries to get it right because I either misspoke or forgot to mention something I wanted to say. However, I realized that as I was re-recording, I became more aware of what I wanted to say, and in the end, I am proud of the presentation recording I submitted! 
• There are going to be tough times. But they don’t last forever. 
  Struggles are normal. Don’t feel bad for having them. When you feel overwhelmed with the amount and/or difficulty of workload, take a step back and prioritize your work. You may evaluate your tasks based on the deadlines, assignments, and/or courses you are taking. If you need some support, the Weingarten Center on campus has learning specialists to help you prioritize your workload! What I learned from my self-reflections is that I am capable of doing all the tasks assigned to me, but I simply needed some time to digest all the information provided and find clarity amidst it all. That usually means taking a break. There were periods of my life when I felt overwhelmed by the number of deadlines I had to meet. I didn’t know where or how to start. What I find helps is to take a step back from all the upcoming deadlines and sit with yourself for a moment. I like to put my phone down and be away from it for a while. Because I am usually sitting in my chair when I am doing work, I like to sit on the floor to refresh my mind (yes, I am a floor person and proud). In moments of stress, find a new/different setting, and sit (or stand if you would like to) in silence for a while. It also really helps to have a form of creative outlet to let your thoughts and feelings out in a healthy way. For me, that is writing, drawing, and listening to music that relates to how I feel at the moment. Do what works for you!
• Focus on the process, not just the destination. 
  What matters the most is the process of achieving your goal, not the goal itself (though that is an extremely nice bonus). Don’t be so fixated on the outcome that you forget to enjoy the process! Now that I am graduating, I am going to miss all the wonderful memories I created here in graduate school. I am also very grateful for the people in my life whom I created these memories with! When I look back on the happiest and most beautiful moments during graduate school, they are the late nights studying together with friends in the library; they are the slow walks on campus while listening to music; they are the dinners in downtown Philly after a fun day of (grocery) shopping; they are the afternoons of exploring (different foods and places); they are the hours spent working on assignments and clicking that ‘submit’ button on Canvas after completing them, etc. Our lives are made up of moments–make them count! 
• Take your time. You don’t have to figure it out right away. 
  Take your time to figure things out. It took me a long time to figure out what I really wanted to do after graduation–and that’s more than okay! When I first started my graduate program about two years ago, I had plans to do a Ph.D. right afterward. However, people change and plans change. My passion for education didn’t change, but I realized that my life plans did change, ever so slightly, after I learned more about myself during these past two years. Though I will no longer be in academia right after graduation, I am still very excited to see where the future will take me, and I will keep learning no matter what! I used to be scared of change because that meant stepping out of my comfort zone and experiencing new, unfamiliar things. However, I realized that change is going to come no matter what–it is simply a part of life. For instance, the move from Canada, where I had completed my undergraduate degree, to the US, to complete my graduate degree has changed me in more ways than I could have ever imagined. There is no need to view change in a negative light–it can be fun and exciting, too! Time flies, for sure. But even so, you can take your time. Just because time is flying, it doesn’t mean you have to fly with it. Don’t fly because you are told to. Fly because you want to and are ready to spread your wings.
• Make sure to stop and look around once in a while. 
  To reference Ferris Bueller (from the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off), make sure to take a moment to soak in and reflect on the beautiful, ordinary days of your life. It can be easy to get caught up in all the responsibilities we have to complete and forget to enjoy the moments that bring us joy. I have learned a lot during my time here at Penn GSE, but one of the most important things I will take with me wherever I go is this: hold onto what matters to you and let go of the rest. I can’t believe I am graduating. I still remember arriving at the Philadelphia International Airport one pivotal day in August 2021 and moving into the dorm with curious eyes. And now, here we are, as I complete the draft of my blog post using my laptop while on my bed! Time truly flies. I will hold onto the precious memories I created at Penn. 

Penn, thank you so much for having me! I also want to take a moment to thank everyone who helped and supported me these past two years: my family, friends, professors, supervisors, mentors, classmates, colleagues, and university staff members. Your encouragement, guidance, and company mean the world to me. I also want to take a moment to thank myself–I persevered despite some of the obstacles I came across. It wasn’t easy, but I made it. And I sure do know more than I did two years ago! If you are a prospective or current student, make sure to take in every single moment while you are on campus and around the city of Philly! And just like I did, you are more than welcome to share and write about your graduate school experiences on the Grad Center Blog too. Thank you for tagging along throughout my graduate school journey, from my first blog post in the Summer of 2021 to my last. And a big, big congratulations to the Class of 2023! I am endlessly proud of us! We worked really hard. Cheers to the next chapter, whatever it may be.