It feels like a big weight on my shoulders to do this program justice through this penultimate blog post. As the program of numerous firsts and lasts, this little bubble that we’ve created seems timeless up until these last moments of reality. I’m not sure how exactly we made it through but in an attempt to stay sane, here’s a little walkthrough of our final full day in the SSP Genomics program:
We started off our day at 8 am with a little feedback session with Dr. M. As the first participants of the Genomics program, it was important to provide honest feedback on the program this year. Given how sleep deprived we were, the only insight we were really providing was that they probably shouldn’t have had the important lectures at 8 am.
After that we heard a lecture from one of our beloved TAs, Emma on everything from her dog to a robotic dragon.
This all culminated in our last day at the Agricultural and Biological Engineering building- the home of our labs, lectures, and karaoke sessions. We all filtered out slowly in the afternoon, taking time to write cards to staff, turn in our computers, and take in the empty spaces.
We closed out the night with our closing ceremony replete with parting sentiments and applause. After that we all hung out as a group around the dysfunctional fountain outside the dorm buildings until 1 AM reminiscing on anything and everything. As I sit among my newly found friends I feel like I’ve known these people for years. I’ve been living in denial about leaving tomorrow but in acceptance of the fact that I may never forget these small moments. I’m not good with endings so I’ll just say good morning – since this blog post is technically late and it’s 3 AM.
About Me:
Hey, I’m Neha Chelamkuri and I’m from Frisco, Texas! On the off chance I’m not reading a book, you can find me devouring a bar of dark chocolate, at the gym, or learning more about mosquitoes and infectious diseases. Talk to me about anything but country music. 🙂