It’s Thanksgiving already! 

Between work, school and grad school applications, it’s been a really tough year. But…. There’s more than ever to be thankful for. A lot of these are repeats. That is intentional. There are some persistent things that more than deserve tk be on the (very abbreviated) list.

Family: the economy has bred terrible. Inflation is out of control. Nothing has changed for me thanks to my parents. More importantly, they’ve been extremely supportive of my plans, even if it means being more or less dependent on them for another 1/2 decade and not attending a certain university near Boston. I’d say that having a bank cheque to do what I want is something to be thankful for.

My Letter Writers: Letter writers are integral for grad school and often the most difficult part of the application. I’m extremely thankful that it’s been the least of my concerns. Beyond writing me strong letters, my letter writers edited my statements of purpose, introduced me to important people and sometimes fielded my meltdowns. One of them actually submitted hers only a week after having her baby. That’s dedication. 

My Team(s): I have two teams this semester. My Team (the girls) who’ve been with me since my struggle in game theory and my project team in social network analysis. Both have been indispensable. My Team has always been super supportive. This semester, I’ve needed them more than ever and, between inviting me over and reassuring me over and over that everything will work out, they really took care of me. My social network analysis project team are one of those “unicorn” teams. Social network analysis is a very coding intensive field. I… well…. Don’t code. They didn’t care. They actually volunteered to do the data work and spent their fall break cleaning the data. It’s hard to ask for better 

Discord: I’m not going to lie, this semester has been quite lonely without classes with friends. I’ve tried to stay social but we’re all busy! Luckily I have my discord communities- AE, Physics and school. The members in these communities spent time chatting with me, sent memes to cheer me up and made real analysis bearable. The AE discord gave me invaluable advice on grad school applications.

The House in Florida: Heat and humidity isn’t for everyone, but after 2 consecutive Pittsburgh winters, I am extremely thankful that I have somewhere warm to go to during break. 

Econ Research Club: Econ research club has been the backbone of my social life these past two years. This year, I’ve taken a much more active role in the club management and the members (and professors) have been extremely supportive. They never fail to show up and produce engaging, if not contentious, ideas. 

Not wanting or needing anything: It’s the holidays and my parents asked me what I want for Christmas. After some thought, I didn’t want or need anything. I think this is absolutely incredible. 

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving! Enjoy all the food and family. Until next time, bye!

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