Dear Scholars, I hope this note finds you well. Can you believe it's November already? How are your classes going? What good things are happening? Basically wondering how you are …

 

Remember I'm always available for a one-on-one, just to chat, get to know each other, lend support, we can practice some mindfulness, whatever you need. Email me and we'll find a time to meet.

 

This week Allison invites us to consider how to mesh your new grad school life with the life you left, the life you spring from. How do you explain to family/friends what you're doing when it might be hard for them to understand? See her post below.

 

Take a moment to check in with us. Log into our McNair space and leave a comment. Let us know you're alive or that you're at least listening in here. We're here to support you and create community. ✨

Holiday Season! 

Halloween is officially over. The Christmas stuff is out at the stores. 

After moving out of state for grad school, in the first year especially, my family felt abandoned by me. I didn’t understand why until later. 

In my first year, I was excited for the break! Excited to be around familiar folks after being in an unfamiliar new place, to share all the things I’d learned, only to be met with …

“Getting too big for your britches,” “you have this fancy degree but not smart enough to find your own keys,” “someone has to keep you humble,” “you’re not better than anyone else” & similar sentiments became the norm. I thought they just hated me but later realized my family was having a reaction to a shift in social mobility they couldn’t access. 

It’s painful! I knew they loved me and were proud of me, but that chip on their shoulders felt so sharp at times. I started dumbing myself down & making myself small to avoid blowback, until I wasn’t even able to be myself around them anymore. 

This was the hardest part of my first year. 

How are we feeling about the holidays? How are your families adjusting to this big, new change in your life?