Check In

It's been a long time! I'm in my third year of graduate school, and it will be my last! Glory be to God!

Since my last post (which was ages ago), many things have been revealed to me and I've made decisions that will make my quality of life a little bit better and ultimately remove some of the burdens that I inadvertently have placed on myself during my two years at Virginia Tech.  As I'm in the prime of my adulthood, I realize my priorities and have evaluated what I really want out of life at this time.

I am a lifetime learner, but at this time in my life, I've declared that I will earn my Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering in May of 2016, I want to gain some industry experience in my field, and I want to be close to my family in MD.  Most importantly, I want to build my professional skill sets, save up some money, travel a little bit, and be close to those who matter most to me.  Life is short, and I do not want to spend forever in school. I am a do-er naturally; a hands-on experimentalist, a creative soul, a socialist.

It has not been an easy journey forward, and there's still so much hard work and late nights ahead, but I know and have faith that I will make it.  I have many reasons to smile and be happy. I am so blessed and privileged. I couldn't have made it this far without God, support from family and friends, and encouragement from my mentors and advisors.

So, what have I been up to?

• School, school, school... and more school (working on my MS thesis)
• Working on establishing and branding myself as a freelance photographer locally with my social media platforms
• Building my photography portfolio
• Practicing using makeup and improving on my beauty skills
• I moved into a 1-bedroom apartment over the summer (Best move ever!); I love being in my own space and arranging it how I want
• Enjoying and living in my singleness (I can focus more on loving myself, being a servant of God, working on myself, and growing in faith)
• Traveling home every now and then

Here are a few pictures from the past few months including my little sister's graduation from high school, my cousin's wedding, me practicing makeup, and a group picture from a recent social at school etc.

Decisions: I Finally Made Up My Mind!!!

Making a decision on where I want to be and where I am supposed to be for the next 5 to 6 years is a big deal and is not an easy decision for me to make. As many of you all know, I am a recent graduate from UMBC and I applied for PhD programs for the fall of 2013. Entering the graduate school realm at a place far away from home (out-of-state) is very scary. I'd basically be starting fresh completely on my own. I know in my heart I'll be fine though. Many people have done it before me, right, and they made it out alright?

Here's the story. Mid-February acceptance letters and rejection letters started rolling around and decision time began getting shorter and shorter by the second. It seemed like forever before I started hearing back from the schools that I really was considering attending. Fast forward to mid-March, a few rejection letters later (from schools I thought I'd get into), and I finally narrowed my options down to 2 schools: Virginia Tech and the University of Pittsburgh.

Both are really amazing schools, but two major factors are costs and environment (distance from included). After many hours of comparing schools, chatting with family and friends, praying, and fasting, I went back and forth on where I wanted to go. In reality, I was asking myself the wrong questions and not thinking in the right frame of mind. What I should have been asking myself is where does God want me to go or where am I supposed to be. Today, after talking to my academic advisor, who is also a man of God, I got my answer. It was like the icing on the cake.

By the grace of God, I am elated to share that I have finally made a decision. Now I can smile without worrying what the future beholds. Wherever I go I know I will be taken care of and I will make the most of my experience. With the power vested in me, I now pronounce myself as a Hokie!!! I will be attending Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University otherwise know as Virginia Tech!!!

Let me soak that in. Whew, that was long overdue, but I had to wait on God to tell me where I was supposed to go. My patience has really been tested these past few months. Now I can move forward and proceed with filling out paperwork, applying for assistantships, and fellowships, and simply doing my part and letting God handle the rest. God is good all the time!

And with that, I can say that my decision making wasn't so bad after all.  It was all worth it in the long run.