Humans of Grad School Monica Molinaro

Erin’s life trajectory thus far as been full of experiences, including moving to a new province and starting full-time work while finishing her Master’s. These experiences have also been full of lessons, like discovering that she is fiercely independent, able to juggle all that life throws at her, and say “I got this” to anything new that gets thrown her way. The biggest lesson she has learned thus far, however, is much simpler - if you love yourself, and have love from those you cherish most, the rest is gravy.

Janelle always wanted to help people, specifically in a health care context, but wasn’t fully sure how. After realizing that becoming a doctor wasn’t what she wanted to do, Janelle did, and became, so much more. Now as a researcher with a Masters and soon pursuing a PhD, Janelle faced rejection, met (and networked) with many researchers and friends, and used all the lessons learned from others to inform her experiences. Now, as a mentor, she knows that she has more power than she originally thought - and is teaching others the same.

There's no new guest this week, so I quickly monologue on why and how I've been feeling over the last couple of weeks writing my dissertation.

For Lauren, doing a Master’s was not what she expected. With so many timelines up in the air, no real preparation for what a research Master’s involves, and significantly less structure, Lauren realized that she wasn’t meant to do research. After reflecting on her mental health and priorities for herself, she left grad school, and became a nurse. Little did she know that the majority of her nursing career (thus far) would be caring in a pandemic, where her care for COVID patients has helped her understand that her experience in grad school taught her many lessons that has led her to where she wants to be.

On her journey to becoming an occupational therapist, Sarah learned how to embrace and trust life's timing. Rejection from Canadian universities created an opportunity for redirection - including a plane ride over to Scotland. Looking back on her time in graduate school, Sarah can now see the lessons she's learned, the real life application of skills shared between her research and clinical worlds, the impact of the people and places (and sometimes spiders) around her, and how it's all shaped her to be the person of contrast she is today.

TW: Mentions of depression, anxiety, suicide
Jeremy was going to be a professional wrestler. The kind you see on TV - jumping from the ropes, on top of ladders, or using fold-up chairs and circuitboards as weapons. He realized that maybe this isn’t the kind of wrestling he was meant to do. As someone who thrives in the grey spaces of our lives, Jeremy’s new love became adolescent literature, specifically focusing on mental health and being a productive member of a capitalist society. Through his story reading, storytelling, and teaching on the power of stories, he hopes to continue to help others find the stories they were meant to read.