Again, I am so grateful to have been able to attend the AAA. I met so many people, and have been left with more questions than answers (in a good way!). I went to a lot of panels, all with grad school in mind. I sought out people who were talking about things I might be interested in studying in grad school. I went to see the presentation of one professor whose work I really admire, but I realized her current focus has shifted. So even though that was disappointing, I’m glad I know that now. I’m also realizing the value of just being friendly to everyone in these academic settings. Of course, it’s always good to be nice to people, but I mean that you never where connections will come from. You can make a friend, but you might also make a valuable connection. I happened to overhear a young woman say she was an undergraduate at a panel, and I introduced myself to her. I felt like we were two of the only undergrads there! She felt the same, and we were interested in the same things research-wise, so we became fast friends. It turns out she did research last summer with someone who was on Dr. Kline’s panel. She introduced me to her adviser, who went to UC Irvine and worked with Leo Chavez. He’s done great work in immigration and I would love to work with him, and she said she would email introduce us. So, it just one of those things where the connections you make are just as important as the things you learn or the work you present.
Leaving the conference, I am more sure than ever that this is what I want to do. Getting to talk candidly about life in academia with a variety of people was eye-opening. I’m not going in thinking that life as a PhD student and then a professor/research is all sunshine and rainbows, but I’m still excited about it, which I think is a good sign. I got a little sad thinking how I won’t be at any conferences next year while I take a gap year. But I think it will be valuable to step away from academia for a bit, realize how much I miss it, and jump back in. I will leave you with some more pictures from beautiful Vancouver!
