Nurturing yourself by nurturing some greens
How growing an indoor vegetable garden from scratch became a life-affirming engineering project during the COVID lockdowns
Grad student life is filled with significant transitions like qualification exams, new roommates, selecting PIs and committee members, and more. But the uncertainties of grad school life suddenly became much more prominent with COVID-19. As an experimentalist who does my research in a lab, I was incredibly lost, especially in the first few months of […]
How I realized graduate school was the right choice for me
The best ideas come in the bathroom
The best realizations really do come in the bathroom. I was washing my hands in the sink when I heard the bathroom door shut as another girl entered. If you ever lived in a college dorm in the US, you can imagine what a dorm bathroom looks like. It has multiple stalls and sinks so […]
You have got to have a plan, and a planner!
Putting everything on the calendar makes life at MIT so much easier.
Growing up in India Growing up in a busy middle class household in India, my parents did not once ask about my grades. They would just pick my report card and glance over it annually at the parent-teacher meetings. That was it. This was in stark contrast to some parents who spent what seemed like […]
Finding your why
A good reason to go to grad school
I was about 19 years old when my friend and I made plans to bike 70 miles to a state park in our area, camp for the night, and take the train home. My parents were afraid that we would get hurt or lost, so they suggested that I shouldn’t go. I appreciated their caution, […]
Making kofta in an air fryer
Balancing cultural identity as a second-generation American
“Dinner is ready!” The smells of tahini and allspice waft through my house, while plates and utensils clatter around the kitchen. My family meanders around the kitchen in hungry anticipation, like so many wolves circling their prey… Growing up as a second-generation American, I primarily connected to my Egyptian heritage through food. From kofta and […]
