Side by Side

​ This week is summed up by the giraffes pictured here, which I feel really represent our ISM family as a whole: standing side by side and looking towards the future together. One of my favorite parts of the ISM program has become talking to and competing with my peers. The atmosphere in ISM varies from ultra-focused to extremely laidback, and I walk into every class with a smile on my face because of the friendships and companionships I have developed with my classmates. This past week, we had to turn in a research assessment, interview assessment, and our topic proposal, but paired with jokes and laughter, each assignment felt less and less like an assignment and more and more like a pleasure.

Coming into the program, I had a specific goal in mind for my final product: I would create a practical method to better prevent one or more of the most common injuries in sports. Although my initial goal hasn't changed, every interview I go on and every article I research has helped me clarify and better understand the limitations to my potential final product. I'm not deterred by this, because I know as soon as I get a mentor he/she will be able to guide me and give me the advice I need.

Apart from class, the best part of this week was seeing an ISM alumna that had pushed me to join ISM in the first place. We were able to catch up, and talking to someone who had already been through what I am going through now was amazing. I had lots of doubts when first applying for the program, but hearing her talking about her experiences in ISM and seeing first hand all of the inspiring work she was able to do through her experience was what really convinced me to go for it, and I am extremely grateful to have people like her who helped me get into the program and are now still guiding me.

In this next week, I would like to have a solid rough draft for my display board for research showcase. Furthermore, I would like my original work to truly be unique and beneficial, so a good portion of my time will go into planning it. I will also be working on my research speech, as well as updating my portfolio and blog, and I'm just now realizing how much work there is to do... hopefully at this time next week I'll still be mentally and physically capable to write my weekly report. For those of you keeping up with my tirades in ISM, feel free to contact me and say hello! For those of you just reading this one report, read the others, they're interesting. Trust me. I was there.

#WeeklyReport