Dear Future Me,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Right now, I\u2019m sitting at my desk, buzzing with anticipation for what this summer will bring. I\u2019m Siran, a Gender and Health major at the University of Michigan, originally from Beijing. I\u2019ve chosen a research path that\u2019s anything but easy\u2014diving deep into reproductive justice and gendered health disparities\u2014because I believe this work matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This summer, I\u2019m working on a project exploring barriers to abortion access, specifically focusing on how intimate partners may influence or obstruct that access. I expect the learning curve to be steep\u2014grappling with transcription ethics, interview analysis, and the messiness of real-world data\u2014but I also know this is the kind of messy that teaches you the most. I hope to gain a sharper understanding of qualitative research practices and develop the discipline to follow through even when the work gets emotionally heavy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I’m bringing with me a toolbox that blends theory and grit: a solid foundation in feminist epistemology, hands-on experience in advocacy, and a deeply personal connection to the stakes of this work. I know I’ll face challenges\u2014time management, emotional burnout, impostor syndrome\u2014but I also know I\u2019m not alone. I\u2019ve got mentors, peers, and a fire in my gut that\u2019s kept me moving even when things get tough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Future me, I hope you look back on this summer proud\u2014not just of what you produced, but of how you showed up. I hope you stayed open, asked hard questions, and let the work change you. Because that\u2019s what real research does. It doesn\u2019t just generate knowledge\u2014it reshapes the knower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With courage,
Siran<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dear Future Me, Right now, I\u2019m sitting at my desk, buzzing with anticipation for what this summer will bring. I\u2019m Siran, a Gender and Health major at the University of Michigan, originally from Beijing. I\u2019ve chosen a research path that\u2019s anything but easy\u2014diving deep into reproductive justice and gendered health disparities\u2014because I believe this work… Continue reading Blog #1: A Letter to My Future Self<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5029,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[356,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3801","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-2025-cohort","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lsa.umich.edu\/wagsfp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3801","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lsa.umich.edu\/wagsfp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lsa.umich.edu\/wagsfp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lsa.umich.edu\/wagsfp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5029"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lsa.umich.edu\/wagsfp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3801"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lsa.umich.edu\/wagsfp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3801\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3802,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lsa.umich.edu\/wagsfp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3801\/revisions\/3802"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lsa.umich.edu\/wagsfp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3801"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lsa.umich.edu\/wagsfp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3801"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lsa.umich.edu\/wagsfp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3801"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}