Semester 1: Recap and Reflection
2025 has been an absolute rollercoaster of emotions, life changes, growth, and learning. If there’s one thing I’m taking away from this year, it’s a renewed and expanded appreciation for resilience in all forms. And now that I’ve completed my first semester of grad school, I think it’s high time for a moment of reflection, of which I’ll present the highlights here:
Denver, CO -> Vancouver, BC
A month before the start of the semester, I packed up and trucked across the country to my new home in Vancouver, British Columbia. In the weeks and months leading up to the move, I really struggled with the idea of leaving the first life I’d ever built by and for myself. Leaving Colorado meant leaving my sunny little apartment, a wonderful group of friends, my favorite spots to eat, drink, and play, and–arguably most daunting of all–the mountains that had become my home. Though I knew this transition was the right path forward, moving away still represented a significant period of loss for me.
But then on to Vancouver! Despite coming from a busy metropolitan area, Vancouver was still a major culture shock upon first arrival, where I had to navigate new bureaucratic systems, different road rules and units, a whole new currency, different grocery stores, and a (thankfully robust) public transport system as my new primary mode of getting around. Fortunately, Vancouver also brought an expansive suite of new cuisines, a beautiful rocky coastline, and the opportunity to meet wonderful new people from all around the world.
I’m still adjusting back to the rain-heavy grey of the PNW (or PSW from a Canadian perspective), but otherwise I’m finally starting to feel settled.
Navigating PhD requirements, research, and all things raccoons
Next up: PhD. My first few weeks of school felt overwhelmingly chaotic, with about a billion orientations, classes starting, a new campus to find my way around, and trying to figure out exactly what I was supposed to be doing to start my research journey. Things like funding mechanisms, forming my dissertation committee, creating timelines for field work and various thesis chapters, and how to define my many foggy ideas into a concrete plan all felt very nebulous and unstructured at first, and I struggled to balance these unknowns with my coursework, self-imposed social life, and exploring my new home.
Thankfully, with time I’ve been able to parse out at least some of these question marks, and settled into a nice daily routine of classes, homework, and research prep.
Remaining true to my long-term goals
Throughout all the busyness and uncertainty of my first semester, I tried really hard to stay mindful of, and committed to, my broader goals for this doctorate and stage of life. I came into this program particularly wanting to deepen my grasp of data analysis, spatial modeling, and computational methods. My courses this semester threw me into the deep end of GIS and computer programming (both of which kicked my butt), and I’m so grateful for the amount I was able to learn through these classes. But I’ve also been working hard to stay accountable for my own learning outside of school, by reading textbooks and methods papers, as well as seeking out ways to apply my new skills to my research. Admittedly, my brain is always in some state of pain from trying to digest all this new information, but I really have felt like my knowledge base has expanded exponentially since starting at UBC.
And finally, I never stray far from my roots in creative science communication, and am planning some really exciting projects to accompany my broader research goals over the next few years.
But my greatest reflection and personal affirmation for the year? I f***ing made it! Congratulations to everyone for surviving another nutso year in this crazy world, and wishing a very happy holiday season and year-end transition to all!
