Eight Entry: To all who wish to prosper

The summer went by fast. Amidst the days spent in the operating room, the long hours in the molecular biology labs, the relentless hot morning and the long subway rides, I learnt a lot. From the reason behind my overwhelming fear of getting lost in the crowd, the increasing need to redefine my identity, the racial divide present in this country's economy, the laborious hours of the medical staff, the altruistic passion of some doctors, to the reason why I decided to complete a PhD, I learnt a lot. None of the motivational speeches or well crafted literary works of renowned philosophers, scientists and humanists, could have taught me better than the first-hand experience I gained this summer participating in this program. The ingenuity in the instrument design, the creativity in the treatment options, the steadfastness of doctors in providing care, and the insatiable thirst for knowledge of those around me, have been my daily routine for eight weeks now. It is not so hard to believe the summer came and went amidst all these experiences.  The knowledge I gathered not only about myself but also about the medical practice and patient-care will not go wasted. 

My last week here was spent wrapping up the works I completed and formulating ones I am excited to undertake back in Ithaca. The time I spent reflecting on the purpose of my research, its audience and ultimately the people it hoped to helped gave me new purpose and aspirations. I probably will not have another experience like this but I can say with certainty that I will have an even better one now that I have experienced what it is like to work alongside those who save lives on a daily basis. The attention to details, the clear vision, the unshakable faith and confidence in the skills they developed is to me what makes hospital staff the highly respected professionals they are. Those same characteristics are those I hope to gain and emulate throughout my PhD career. 

In all things considered, I had a great summer, one which will be etched in my memory for a long time. So to all who wish to prosper, let us make good use of the experience we gained here.