Welcome! Thanks for stopping by...

Let me take a moment to introduce myself and the purpose of this blog.

 

My name is Madison- I am a scientist and educator interested improving education, particularly STEM education. I am passionate about increasing diversity in academia and STEM careers, which I aim to contribute to by creating meaningful mentorship opportunities for STEM undergraduate students. In my free time I am an avid trail runner, but I love any excuse to get outdoors and explore. I have also recently discovered a love for learning new languages and cooking new recipes!

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I started this blog as a stepping stone towards writing a book. At the time of creating this blog, we are in the midst of a global pandemic due to the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). As I was reflecting on how strange a time this is, and how deeply it has impacted all of our lives, I realized we should start a record of how our personal lives have been changed by COVID-19. 

 

I hope this can be that space for you. Too often we remember only the bad. I hope that as time passes and life returns to normal, you can reflect on your experience and be reminded of the good. Perhaps instead of returning to normal, your life will enter a new normal where you incorporate some of the positive aspects of this age that you discovered.

 

If you would like to share your unique experience in this space, I encourage you to do so! While all experiences are important and valid, my focus is to record stories of the secondhand, positive impacts of this global pandemic. In the future I hope to compile some of your stories into a book so that we have a lasting record of how this pandemic influenced our lives on a daily, personal level. As such, I have listed four guiding themes: love, laughter, learning, and loss. The following are examples of stories that could fall into the four categories, but they are not meant to be restrictions or limitations. 

 

• Examples of stories of love: meeting a new friend or partner, reconnecting with a friend or loved one, discovering a new activity you love, or how you helped a friend/family member/coworker as a secondhand result of COVID-19.

• Examples of stories of laughter: humorous outfits or activities you participated in or observed others participating in (i.e. my partner and I danced behind my house with tumbleweed twigs because why not?), odd lifestyle changes you made, toilet paper alternatives, etc. 

• Examples of stories of learning: learning a new skill, learning how to adapt, learning how to perform your job remotely, or a realization you had as a secondhand result of COVID-19.

• Examples of stories of loss: letting go of a bad habit or negative beliefs, ending a toxic relationship, throwing away items or quitting activities that don’t bring you joy, etc.

 

As I hope to create a novel that will incorporate some of your stories, I encourage you to end your story with a signature listing your name (or a pseudonym if you would like to remain anonymous), and the city, state, and country where you reside. This will allow me to credit you for your contribution. For each story, please keep the length to no more than 1000 words; however, if you would like to submit multiple stories, please feel free to do so! You may submit multiple stories to the same category, or you can submit to different categories. Upon submitting, please list the category you feel your story aligns with best. To submit your story, please paste it in the form at the bottom of this page. I will then post your story to this site. I will then post your story to this site.

 

Happy writing and thank you for sharing!

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