Hello everyone!
Just posting a short year in review + update, since I haven't been very active on here. I know it's a little belated, but better late than never, right?
Just posting a short year in review + update, since I haven't been very active on here. I know it's a little belated, but better late than never, right?
2023 In Review
2023 was just a big year. Like, one of those years where it feel like more than one, if that makes sense?
I also deliberated on whether or not to post this section. On social media, there's a real tendency to only post the "highs", and never the lows. But, conversely, I also think it's really important to celebrate the wins when you get them.
To those ends, my highlights of 2023 include:
I also deliberated on whether or not to post this section. On social media, there's a real tendency to only post the "highs", and never the lows. But, conversely, I also think it's really important to celebrate the wins when you get them.
To those ends, my highlights of 2023 include:
- March: I got to see a rocket launch. I had nothing to do with that rocket whatsoever, but it was really cool to see a launch up close.
- Also March: I presented some new research at the UCF Student Symposium, and won a Judge's Choice Award.
- April: I successfully defended my MA thesis to the public and my committee.
- May: I graduated from my MA Degree!
- August: I started a completely new job (Economic Analyst) in a completely new field (Economics / Public Policy).
- September: My housemate and I went whale watching, which similar to the Rocket Launch was just really cool to see.
- December: I hosted my first Friend-mas in a few years, with people I hadn't seen in a long time.
- December 31: On the very last day of 2023, I completed the full, edited draft of an academic paper, which we submitted to the journal in January 2024. Hopefully I can post some updates about this soon!
2024 Outlook
I'm posting this here to hold myself accountable. My overall goal for the year is "Progress not Perfection" - It's okay if I don't hit all of them, so long as I make a genuine attempt at them.
- Physical and Mental Well-being: My graduate degree took a physical and mental toll on me that cannot be understated. My single biggest self-development goal for this year is to put my health first, and work on recovery.
- (Re)Finding hobbies: Since I started at University, way back in 2016, a lot of my hobbies have fallen to the wayside - poetry, painting, embroidery, and just generally being creative. These are things that used to bring me a lot of joy, and I'm excited to try and re-discover this for myself. I also want to continue to build my coding skills, particularly in a creative sense.
- More Science Communication: Although I'm on a bit of an indefinite academic break at the moment, I did really enjoy the work I did with Sapiens back in 2022. I hope to continue to build these skills, and do more outreach in 2024.
Anyway, I think it'll be interesting to review these (and my other, more personal goals) at the end of the year, to see how it pans out.
Until next time, Brianna.
Until next time, Brianna.