Contemplations on the Scriptures in the time between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. "...on this Holy Saturday in the time of coronavirus, everything seems extra...slow. It is as if God asks us to wait—to pause—a little while longer in contemplation of his death and resurrection. It is in this waiting that I felt inspired to share what's been on my heart..."
Growing Pains, 2019
On therapy, growing pains, and the lessons learned in 2019. "And so in 2019, I learned to feel again. I explored and expressed joy, sadness, surprise, rage, anticipation, shame, love, betrayal, serenity. I not only found that others' emotions were worth my time, but that my emotions were also worth my time. For the first time in years, I cried in front of my father and explained why I was talking to a complete stranger about my emotions. I allowed myself to grieve my mother's cancer and the pain of her radiation treatments, even though it triggered agonizing memories of my own hospitalizations."
A Letter from the Past
Upon receiving a letter from my 16-year-old self, I wrote my younger self a dutiful reply... "11th grade, College Park High School. One ordinary day in AP Calculus, Ms. Merritt tasked us with outlining our "5-10-15-20 year" plans and prompted us to ask our future selves if we had accomplished everything we had set out to do as starry-eyed sixteen-year-olds. She promised to send these letters back to us four years from the date we wrote them."
A Short Personal Reminder
Reminders in the midst of a hard and painful season.
On Childlike Passion
My earliest childhood memory sparked a lifelong passion. "...people forget what kind of obsessions they had in childhood because they listen too much to the clamor of outside opinion, or the superficial allure of wealth. Yet, often times, what you enjoyed in your childhood is what you will have a deep interest in all the way through to adulthood."
Happy Anniversary, Boston!
Thoughts and reflections on Year One in Boston. "Exactly a year ago, I took a one-way flight to my new home. I wrote this in my journal on the plane ride: It just hit me It’s hitting me It’s all going to be new from now on ...and it was."
Goodbye, 2018!
Reflections on 2018 through the lens of travel, music, books, science, and faith. "2018 brought this sense of urgency in everything that I did. Perhaps it was the sentimental feelings that came with graduating, or even just the general desire to seize my youth, but I felt that there was just so much to learn, to see, to process, and to grow towards, and that I needed to do it all now."
Antoine, from Chicago
"I met a 22-year-old boy on the side of Fullerton St. in Lincoln Park, Chicago. He held a cardboard sign with his head down. "Hungry." Next to him was a Holy Bible; on his neck, a simple red rosary."
A World Without Sound
A tribute to my uncle, one of my favorite people in the whole world. "My uncle, after falling ill as a child, became deaf-mute, leaving the world of sound. I spent several days with him this summer (in rural China, where he lives) in silent communion."
All About PhD Applications
Everything you need to know about applying to (neuro)science PhD programs! (And my most read blog post.) I cover: how to know if / when to apply to PhD programs, how to get fee waivers, whether you should reach out to PIs before applying, how to write personal statements, interview schedules and template questions, and how to choose a school.
Lucy Blogs 