December 2019
In narrative writing there is something known as the three-act structure. The introduction, rising action, and falling action are the three pillars. And it seems my long drawn out analogy from previous semesters was more fitting than I thought. This is my third and final semester. It’s an academic Act 3. This third part of my “Farewell Address” blogs will be my final soliloquy to you. What better way to resolve a journey through academia then with a graduation.
This semester has been an interesting one full of conflicting emotions. There were days when I wanted time to slow down so I could enjoy this season of my life. On the contrary, there were other days when I wanted to hop in a time machine and travel to the end of the semester when I would finally be done.
They say time softens things, and I think it does to some degree. I imagine that years from now I will look back on graduate school with a fondness as I recall my time spent at Texas A&M. Right now, I can only stand in the present and recall that this semester was by far my most challenging and stressful one. It felt as if I was trying to juggle too much and just as I would get into a rhythm something else was thrown into the mix. It seems as years pass time puts a rose-colored lens on some aspects of our lives. Whether intentional or not, we put our rose-colored glasses on, and the cherry hues smooth out even the times that were harder.
Throughout graduate school I have learned many things. I have learned that people come into our lives for a reason and there’s something extraordinary about that. Out of all the billions of people in the world, we are able to encounter a range of them throughout life. I have learned and am continuing to learn to embrace change. Just as the seasons inevitably change, so does life. It feels as though the older I get the more quickly time moves. Slowing down time is like holding onto sand. The tighter you hold the quicker it falls away. So, we ease up our grip and enjoy what we do have.
I still have some final exams and a paper before graduation but Act 3’s resolution is almost here. I would like to thank you for taking the time to read these blogs and being a part of my journey in graduate school.
---Kalifa Stringfield
Kalifa Stringfield is a Masters student in the Department of Biotechnology
This semester has been an interesting one full of conflicting emotions. There were days when I wanted time to slow down so I could enjoy this season of my life. On the contrary, there were other days when I wanted to hop in a time machine and travel to the end of the semester when I would finally be done.
They say time softens things, and I think it does to some degree. I imagine that years from now I will look back on graduate school with a fondness as I recall my time spent at Texas A&M. Right now, I can only stand in the present and recall that this semester was by far my most challenging and stressful one. It felt as if I was trying to juggle too much and just as I would get into a rhythm something else was thrown into the mix. It seems as years pass time puts a rose-colored lens on some aspects of our lives. Whether intentional or not, we put our rose-colored glasses on, and the cherry hues smooth out even the times that were harder.
Throughout graduate school I have learned many things. I have learned that people come into our lives for a reason and there’s something extraordinary about that. Out of all the billions of people in the world, we are able to encounter a range of them throughout life. I have learned and am continuing to learn to embrace change. Just as the seasons inevitably change, so does life. It feels as though the older I get the more quickly time moves. Slowing down time is like holding onto sand. The tighter you hold the quicker it falls away. So, we ease up our grip and enjoy what we do have.
I still have some final exams and a paper before graduation but Act 3’s resolution is almost here. I would like to thank you for taking the time to read these blogs and being a part of my journey in graduate school.
---Kalifa Stringfield
Kalifa Stringfield is a Masters student in the Department of Biotechnology