Earlier this evening (1900h), I attended Dr. Felippe’s talk on her journey as an immigrant and eventually settling down in the States. She had lots of wonderful advice, and one of the (many) major takeaways that I think is worth mentioning wwas on deciding a career path.

Many students, especially those in the pre-med track, are expected to make up their minds on their career paths so early, to the point where they’ve got to start working their *** off since high school. Also, once they’re pursuing their MD, there’s no way around. Dr. Felippe talked about how each step in her journey to academia was unexpected, and she treated her education as “equipping her with the tools” to get to the next stages in her professional life. I thought that it was very meaningful, as many people’s careers do not turn out as they’ve expected 20 years ago. It’s great to treat college as a way to nurture and nourish ourselves in a way that best prepares for our future endeavors.