Personal Narrative: OSA Conference

This past Fall semester was very challenging but, in a way, fun too. It began with being accepted to present at the FiO/LS:OSA conference in Rochester, NY. But this meant that I needed to be very concentrated. I was juggling classes and midterms as well as everything necessary for the conference. I was reading more to understand more about the topic I was researching, so I would be prepared for questions, but also to have a better idea as what was I really investigating. I struggled at first because I was reading tediously, going back and forth between the calculations for my predictions, then onto the experimental aspect, trying to see how everything connected. Unfortunately, my experiment had a few small, overlooked errors. I clearly remember
one evening sitting frustrated in the lab. Not only was I failing to figure out how to resolve the specific problem I was dealing with, but I didn’t believe in myself. With a lot of patience, and asking for help, I started to get the ball rolling in the right direction again. Due to my situation, quitting was not an option, so I had to push through obstacles. After the conference, I had a new confidence about my abilities and what I can achieve. I also felt more confident in what in I was actually researching and although I don’t know everything, I have started to get a better grasp and have started to paint a picture of everything I have learned so far from doing research.