Diving Into Graduate School and Global Health: Trying to Stay Afloat

     

Many have said that once you leave the academic world, it is much harder to re-enter. I used to roll my eyes when my peers used to warn me, responding in an arrogant and pompous tone. Though after being back in an academic environment for a little less than a month, I have to say that the adjustment is far more emotional and physical draining than I had anticipated. In no way do I regret my decision to return to school, I just underestimated the strain that it would have on my body. Growing up, I was always someone who was completely focused, to the extent that I was obsessed with my GPA. Constantly checking my grades on Blackboard and immersed in my textbooks, I always had to have the highest grade in the class, and be the person who set the curve on every examination. After living and working in the real world for the past three years, I came to graduate school with a completely different perspective. Struggling to find employment with a solid undergraduate GPA and degree from a renowned, top university, I began to undervalue my education, and the hours I spent obsessing over my individual grades. If you asked me what expectations I set for myself five years ago, I would've told you that I was going to graduate within the Top 1% of my graduating class, being recognized with the highest academic honors (Phi Beta Kappa, Summa Cum Laude, and other academic status markers). Now, nearly 26 and three years out of undergrad, I am much more concerned with mastering the content and taking advantage of the vast amount of opportunities that are within my reach. Though, I'm finding it a daunting task at times to sit down and read chapter after chapter, teach myself elementary level binomial probability and normal distribution, and delve into graduate level coursework in its entirety. The material is all very interesting, it's more of an inner-battle with me and my attention span. They say once you know how to ride a bike, you never forget. While that may be true, it definitely takes some time for you to get back on the bike and ride at the Tour de France level, after being off of it for so long.  I know that it's all new to me, in time I will find my motivation and regress back to my undergraduate study habits.

      

 Graduate school is so much different than my undergraduate experience, as I expected it to be. There's a much larger spread in the types of students that are in graduate programs; individuals who just graduated undergrad and others who have been out of the academic game for more than five years, individuals who have families and others who are riding solo such as myself. Finding one's niche in an undergraduate environment is a much simpler task when compared to locating your fit at the graduate level. As an undergrad, you have option upon option when it comes to extracurricular activities. Being in an academic and professional realm that is highly dominated by women, the concentration of other like-minded males is at a bare minimum. While I may seem downhearted thus far, that's certainly not the case. I've met many wonderful people here at Tulane,  all of whom are unique and interesting in their own way. If I'm being completely honest, it's just taking me more time to adapt to this new environment and new town. 

Moving on to a more optimistic topic. Prior to giving my resignation to the American Heart Association and announcing my departure, I had made it a priority to find an internship for when I arrived to graduate school and New Orleans. Hours of research and blindly reaching out to organizations in New Orleans paid off. Last Wednesday, I began interning for a local humanitarian organization,  LearnToLive, whose mission is closely tied to providing health care services to the under-served in developing areas of Indonesia and South Africa, working towards making clean water available in low-resourced communities, and educating these communities on the basic fundamentals of personal health and one's well-being. When I first learned about this organization on Idealist and after digging on their website, I was determined to intern for this organization. After meeting with the Founder and Executive Director, I wanted this opportunity even more. I felt strong synergy and was hired on the spot, and I'm extremely excited to be working for such a young organization, which is growing quickly. The thought of being an intern after being a salaried professional in the nonprofit health world still feels weird, though I'm completely grateful to have this opportunity, and to work with such passionate and skilled individuals. As I take the first steps towards a career in global health consulting, I'm excited to report that I've had the opportunity to evaluate the metrics of a recent health program implemented in Indonesia. While the overlay of empirical data is foreign to me at times, it brings tears to my eyes to see the impact that individuals such as myself are making in the lives of at-risk individuals in poor Indonesian villages. 

   

      I've only been in New Orleans and a graduate student at Tulane for less than a month, and I am already feeling the pressure. With time, I know that the anxiety and emotions  will subside. I'm not promising another 4.0 GPA, it's been hard to achieve that since the sophomore year of undergrad.Though, it is with optimism, pride and a fighting mentality that I continue to paddle my way through these green waves.