Attending the LWYL Cafe interview with professors Chris Alabi and Nilay Yapici served as both a source of insightful stories and much-needed reminders.

For instance, I was fascinated by Professor Alabi’s path of starting life out as a kid in Nigeria thinking mostly about soccer and how through small steps, one of which involved reading an encyclopedia, he decided to study chemical engineering. And, I enjoyed Professor Yapici’s stories ranging from finding community with the international college community to the challenges of becoming tenured.

By taking a break from my degree program work to hear these stories from professors unrelated to my field, I found myself engaging in thinking more broadly than I had anticipated.

And, when asked to give advice to current students, “Have fun but be persistent and gritty” and “cherish your time in undergrad” served to remind me that college is a special opportunity that when approached with both grit and fun, is certainly something for me to cherish.