Springing into Action: Advice for the Season

Soleil des Lauriers, MA in Middle Eastern Studies '27

Spring quarter has flown by, it's hard to believe how quickly the year as a whole has come and gone.  When you're surrounded by intense academic rigor, with limited to no time for idleness, it's easy to lose track of time. As a first year in my program, there's been a lot of new adjustments and new things I've encountered over the course of this academic year. From environmental adjustments to pacing to exploring a whole new avenue of research, I have felt both very overwhelmed and fortunate for this past year. It's been easy for me to think that everyone else is on top of their game, that the second years are so much more mature and experienced than I am, that everyone has it all figured out. That, however, is not necessarily the case. With summer approaching and many of us having internship and experiential opportunities, I've been thinking a lot about my academic career and my future as a whole.  

Spring is a time of rejuvenation and renewal. If there's any time for resolutions, I think the spring is the perfect time to do it. Transitioning into summer, it offers us the opportunity to get our foot in the door, try new things, and explore new avenues both academically and extracurricularly. For instance, I intend to teach myself German in hopes that it will benefit my studies as a research language. I also hope to tackle many creative projects, primarily making more historical clothing—building onto my previous archaeological experimental work of making ancient Egyptian garment constructions, as well as trying out 17th century corsetry and various other fun little themed projects. These are all things that I have never tried before and didn't think that now would be the time that I would be ready for them. I don't think I am ready for them. But when is a better time than now? 

Setting things aside for so long, “oh, I'll get around to it eventually”-type mentality isn't doing any of us any favors, at least from my personal experience. As someone that is also on the neurodivergence spectrum, that can be a significant challenge, but part of me including these sentiments in this blog is to publicly state my goals as well as holding myself accountable to try to meet them at the best of my ability. I don't know about you, reader, but I find that this can be very helpful, and I encourage you to do the same. How do you approach your goals? How do you best take advantage of this season? There is no right or wrong answer, nor is there a right or wrong path. That's part of the beauty of graduate studies and being at an institution that offers so many resources and opportunities. While it's been a roller coaster, as any new chapter is, turning the page with great anticipation is how one can set themselves up for success. I don’t know about you. But I’m looking forward to the next phase of the seasons and what it has to offer.