Where to go from here?

My time at the University of Florida is nearing its end and it feels natural to look to what comes next. The big question is where I'll go from here, and it's a question that I don't know how to answer. What I do know is where I've been and who has come out of those experiences. 

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I've been the child of a Marine, and moved every three years as that required. I've walked along Iwakuni's seawall as inky darkness vaults overhead; I've clambered over the limestone ruins of Katsuren Castle in Okinawa; I've walked across the carefully mowed grass of Virginia's Civil War battlefields; I've seen the sun glow pink at sunrise on the barrier islands near Jacksonville and watched it set with broad swatches of orange across Tampa Bay. I have seen much of this world. 

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I have stood helpless without quite the words necessary to explain myself at a pharmacy in Paris' 20th arrondissement. I have been dumbfounded by the symbolism that flew over my head in my Japanese literature course. I have misunderstood lab experiments and been lost in lectures. I have struggled to understand the world around me, and then struggled to understand myself. I have tried and failed and weathered it. 

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Here, now, I'm ready to move forward into the unknown. I know I am resilient, and hardworking, and see the beauty that's out there (of which there is much). Studying biochemistry has been such a rewarding experience; I truly love the work I do in my current lab with adeno-associated virus, and I'm excited to explore the discipline further and broaden my knowledge while contributing to scientific discovery. I am glad to have also maintained a strong focus on balance. Through attending cultural events on campus or spending four weeks in immersive language study in France, I've cultivated a worldview that appreciates not only the data-driven nature of hard science, but also the human element that supports collaboration and makes greater progress possible. In my future career, I know I will exercise what I've learned at the University of Florida and enjoy more of the exploration that has defined my life.