<\/p>\n
It was December of 2019. The ground was full of snow, my student home looked like a
\nholiday store exploded in it, and peculiar news was circulating after a mystery disease infected a
\nWuhan, China local who ate a bat; we thought it was probably fake news…
\nThe year was coming to a close, and so was the second last semester of my undergraduate
\ncareer. Of course, my mind was tossing and turning between excitement and denial. My four
\nyears at Queen\u2019s University in Kingston, Ontario, shaped me into the person I have become. The
\nthought of starting a new journey at a new school had already crossed my mind but moving on so
\nsoon felt as if I was cheating on the very place that I was lucky to call home. Not to mention that
\nmy brain was fried after so many early mornings and late nights at the library, drowning myself
\nin coffee.<\/p>\n
Taking a break from academics was a foreign concept that required a great deal of
\nconsideration. I researched all the schools in Canada looking for the perfect program until one
\nday, my curiosity led me to the Biotechnology and Entrepreneurship master\u2019s program webpage
\nat NYU. Needless to say, I fell in love with the program in an instant. I started imagining the
\npossibility of this new life; however, the idea did not go further. While my family was extremely
\nsupportive of my goals, they were not quick to send me off to another country without first
\napplying to Canadian programs. With my lack of excitement towards what other schools had to
\noffer, I had decided to hold off on applying to a master\u2019s program and take time away from
\nacademics.<\/p>\n
In a search for a new plan, I started talking with friends about travelling the following
\nyear. We stayed up late talking about all the places we will get to tour as school became more
\ndistant in my mind. At the age of 21, travelling with my best friends across the globe was a
\npretty easy fix to overcoming my fear of taking a break from studying. In Thailand, tanning on
\nthe beach, volunteering in elephant sanctuaries, hiking through wild forests \u2013 sounds good to me!
\nAfter months of debates and contemplations, everything was finally falling into place, and I
\ncould not be happier. Until…<\/p>\n
March 13th, 2020 \u2013 the beginning of the unpredictable.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n My undergraduate university decided to shut down in preparation for remote learning. At It was that moment when I realized I had to go back to school. I am a scientist \u2013 THIS<\/em> is One afternoon, I received a call from my aunt, a professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Fast forward two more weeks \u2013 the CDC had already declared the pandemic, the world It is December again. The end to the longest, most challenging year. I am at home in -Neta Benor<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It was December of 2019. The ground was full of snow, my student home looked like a holiday store exploded in it, and peculiar news was circulating after a mystery disease infected a Wuhan, China local who ate a bat; we thought it was probably fake news… The year was coming to a close,… Continue reading Rolling with the Punches<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3810","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog-posts","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/montclare.poly.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3810","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/montclare.poly.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/montclare.poly.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/montclare.poly.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/montclare.poly.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3810"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/montclare.poly.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3810\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3815,"href":"http:\/\/montclare.poly.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3810\/revisions\/3815"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/montclare.poly.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3810"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/montclare.poly.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3810"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/montclare.poly.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3810"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nthe time, I had decided to stay in my student home to celebrate what I thought was an extra
\nreading week with my friends. However, all the fun and games transposed into a red light in my
\nfuture plans. I was jobless, travelling was no longer a reliable option, and I had no idea what to
\ndo at the end of my fourth year \u2013 which, might I add, was a month and a half away. The anxiety
\nslowly crept in. I started researching the virus more each day, wishing I could fight against it.
\nBut how?<\/em><\/p>\n
\nthe time for me to contribute to the world. Sadly, it took a global crisis and lack of plans to shake
\nme, but at that point, it was too late. I had not applied to a master\u2019s program, and I lacked the
\nskills and qualifications for any job I found in the biotechnology field.<\/p>\n
\nInstitute in Albany, New York. She had asked what my plans were for next year as a graduate,
\nand I was embarrassed when telling her that I had none. That call had changed everything. My
\naunt informed me that her university accepted late applicants due to the effects of COVID-19
\nand urged me to inquire if NYU was doing the same. Within one week, I found myself back in
\nToronto with my application to NYU well on its way, and one hell of a surprise for my parents,
\nwho had no idea I even applied.<\/p>\n
\nhad gone virtual, social distancing was the new motto, and I was sitting on the floor of my
\nbedroom staring at an acceptance letter to NYU with my name on it. Before even having time to
\nprocess everything, my parents were already on the phone with my grandparents, running around
\nthe house cheering for their “little scientist” with pride. With my family’s excitement and
\nsupport, including my great uncle, an NYU alumnus who praised the school, I was finally within
\nreach of my goals. All of a sudden, I possessed a beam of light in a world filled with so much
\ndarkness. It was my first time feeling so proud of myself \u2013 I was ready to take on this new
\nchapter.<\/p>\n
\nToronto, surrounded by my incredible family, concluding my first semester as a graduate student
\nat NYU Tandon School of Engineering, and studying in a program that feels as if it was made for
\nme. I am working as a research assistant at the Montclare Lab that not only is partaking in the
\nfight against COVID-19 but many other health issues that society has been battling for years. I
\nhave the pleasure of learning from brilliant scientists every day who continue to shape me
\nbeyond what I thought was possible. If I was told last December where I would be right now, I
\nwould have laughed and denied it. I did not believe I would find success this quickly, nor did I
\nsee myself in New York City. Through enduring the sadness and frustrations this year\u2019s events
\nhave brought, I learned to close my eyes and jump \u2013 accept the unknown \u2013 and fight against the
\nobstacles that face before me. My journey to graduate school and my time in it have taught me
\nthat it is up to me to control my dreams. Putting up walls when things get tough might help at the
\nmoment but taking action will change the outcome. All I have to do is roll with the punches.<\/p>\n