Monday, June 5, 2017
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Washington D.C. has a way of making you feel small. However, that isn't to fault it in any way; its intimidatingly methodical operation only works best when everyone agrees to adhere to the standard. Walk the left side of the escalators, have your card out and ready to be scanned, memorize the self-checkout prompts down to the last step, and whatever you do, do not hold up the queue. It's a hectic, bustling titan of a city and finding a routine can be difficult at first. The summer heat brings with it a wave of new interns, each one carefully carving out a niche for themselves as the city rears to receive them, then prepares to resume operations as normal. But along with the indomitable sway of the routine everyone seems to share comes a sense of unity. The rush and the clockwork operation of day-to-day life is just as much a part of you as you are of it. Given time to settle in, life becomes a vigorous, accelerated version of its former self, and the energy is addictive.
I'm excited to delve into my position and see all there is to be done. I've had some experience in disseminating scientific knowledge before, but now I feel I'll be able to reach audiences on scales I never considered working on SOCKs for outreach. D.C. makes you feel small, true, but I am wholly content being a part of a unit. I believe that our contributions to the whole are what makes us, as a science community thrive. I look forward to doing my absolute best and making my mentors and colleagues- both here and back home- proud.
Thank you, Thomas O'Kuma, for putting me well on my way here and beyond.
Zakary Noel