Reflecting on this summer so far, I am happy to say that I have grown immensely since I wrote that first letter to my future self. Going into the summer, I was excited to see what it was going to be like to do social sciences research as someone who had only done biomedical research in the past. It has definitely been a learning curve for me, but I can confidently say that I have gained immense skills and feel much more confident as a researcher moving forward. I have also really enjoyed doing media research as it is a discipline that I normally would not have engaged with, but have grown much appreciation and affinity towards. There are many aspects I have enjoyed about this type of research such as being able to understand qualitative data, identify patterns and themes across data, and work with people’s stories and experiences. Moving forward, these are things that I would like to do if I continue research, and possibly combine them with some of my other research interests. I am also excited to finish up my symposium project, as it combines the skills I have learned working with my mentor and my passion for reproductive justice and health equity. I think that everything I have learned this summer has encouraged me to keep being driven by my passions, be open to new experiences, and ask lots of questions. If I could give advice to future WAGSFP fellows, it would be to go into the summer with an open mind and lots of curiosity. This program is an opportunity to build as a researcher and make invaluable connections while deep-diving into a topic that interests you.
