The Proposal



I was very scared about the proposal... I didn't know what to say. I mean I wanted it to be meaningful, but not too cheesy. I wanted them to feel like they were the center of attention. I wanted them to know I cared and I wanted my effort to shine through in this proposal. I mean you only get one shot right? I wanted them to know they could trust me with their future and that I had it all planned out.

I also wanted to find a cure for breast cancer. Oh yeah... this is about a research proposal by the way! The above still stands, however. I did really terribly on the journal club presentation, so I was driven to really give this assignment my best shot and I think I did so much better this time! Yue and I worked really well together as well, so I think that helped and it made me less nervous to present with someone who over the course of the class I became good friends with!

I started out looking into things that were slightly related to my research so I would have a basic understanding of what they were trying to say and in doing so, I found some amazing things. Yue was confused at first because she didn't have the same background but with a little help from my explaining and her own initiative she quickly caught on and we were able to come up with an awesome presentation. I was so proud of how far we both came and we also got really into our project. I mean we had it all planned out. We even knew where to get materials and how much they cost-- like we are actually genuinely considering bringing our idea to reality.

I also put a lot more work into my speaking skills. I realized that presentation skills are really important and you need to really utilize your slides to your advantage-- they aren't just there for the audience. When I did that I think it made everything a lot easier. We also visited the comm lab which definitely helped to polish our presentation.

Overall, I'm really proud of how strongly I finished the class and how far I came. I never thought I was capable of inventing a new scientific approach to treating a disease or at least I didn't think I would be able to do so in college! This class showed me that anything really is possible and I am so thankful for this class pushing me out of my comfort zone and showing me my weaknesses, but also giving me a space to work on them so I could emerge stronger!

Here are some memes :)

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