A few months ago, I randomly and spastically remembered about a program I had wanted to apply to a few years ago. This program is called the AAAS Mass Media Science and Engineering Fellowship.....basically it sends scientists to various media outlets around the country to learn about science writing for 10 weeks. As I was nearing the end of my PhD, I still had no clue what to do with my life in the long run. Writing is something I've always enjoyed, so maybe I could write about science someday? So, on a Monday in January, this program crossed my mind. I looked it up, and the deadline for application was the next day. Yikes. I sat at my desk at work, where I had been editing a manuscript, thinking, "What should I do???" Finally, I just decided to send off emails to the people I would ask references for, and there was no turning back. So the rest of that day I spent working on my non-technical writing clips, ordering transcripts, and lining up my references. The next day I emailed my writing clips to a few helpful family members and friends to look over, and then I was ready to submit the application. I figured surely it was a shot in the dark, based on the fact that I had thrown all this stuff together at the last minute. But at least I had tried.
Fast forward 6 months, and here I am. I somehow got the fellowship, and I will be working for 10 weeks at a magazine in NYC called Discover magazine. I realize 10 weeks will probably go by really quickly, but I just hope this is worth it. I'm going to miss Kevin and Satchel and my family more than they could possibly know. I think we'll find out how long Satchel will sleep on the end of the bed facing the door waiting for me before he forgets me....
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