Thinking about the future 🧠
Hi friends,
I officially have one week left in my summer internship, and it feels strange that it's flown by. My project still has a ways to go, but I'm determined to finish in a position that leaves the team to continue it after I leave. Besides the work I did and the awesome people I met, I thought this was an excellent experience, especially since I've had plenty of space to think about my future. I'll be writing an in-depth reflection and creating a presentation about my work soon, so stay tuned for that!
Rose, Bud, Thorn? 🌹🌷🌵
🌹 I made Jollof for the first time this week! I spent my Sunday cooking the stew with my mom over video. It was a more intensive process than I expected, especially since it took a lot of patience. The final product was by no means was perfect, but I'm happy with the results. I'll need to keep practicing, but I'm not sure how often I'll be able to do this. Maybe this can be for special occasions in my life!
🌷 I am determined to continue building my content creation skills, especially on YouTube! It's been an enjoyable week learning how to do some things (effects, features, etc.) that other creators use. I am looking forward to incorporating them into my own work to improve my storytelling abilities and build a cool community!
🌵 The thorn in my side this week has actually been thinking about the future and my career post-grad. This is a never-ending process, but it's been especially prominent this week. One small question in this is, when do I apply? I could apply to places now, but I don't want to decide if I were to get the offer now. Some places say I wait until January or a few months before I graduate. But I don't want to stress out then! So in response, I've booked an appointment with Stanford's career team, BEAM!
Book Talk📚
This week, I've been reading Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro. To be honest, I've been more frustrated by the book than I have enjoyed it. I feel like the characters were not consistent enough and the dialogue is awkward at times. On the other hand, positives include an interesting commentary on our humanity, identities, and even our impact on the environment. If you've read this and would like to chat, definitely reach out. You can find more of my thoughts on my Goodreads!
Intentional Content Consumption📰
I think the biggest news that came out this week and kept most of my attention was the IPCC Climate Report and the results from the 2020 Census. These are both super important because they help guide our direction towards the future in their own ways. So here are a couple of my thoughts:
- The biggest takeaways include that the damage has been done for climate change for at least the next 30 years, and we're now going to be living with the impacts. I think deep down, we knew this— I've seen research that says it wouldn't be enough to simply stop emissions today, and in fact, we'd need "negative emissions." My biggest concern with this admission (the damage has been done) is that vulnerable populations will suffer the most from societal failings.
- All hope isn't lost yet – our actions still matter! Policies matter! From us to corporations, we can make a difference for future generations!
- The census was a massive part of 2020, and there are a few reasons it's so important. The first is how this impacts the country politically. Representatives and, thereby, electoral votes are impacted by how populations and demographics change. One really cool takeaway is that the country is a lot more diverse than before.
- Another reason the 2020 census is super important is because it enables us to have more accurate data about populations and demographics. With this data, people everywhere (even you reading this!) can conduct analyses with an equity lens! If you are interested in this, definitely reach out, and we'll talk more about this!
This Week's Video 📹
This week, I recorded a day in my life! It's a bit strange how I'm living a completely different life here while my friends and family have not been able to visit. I hope this gives you all a sense of what that has been like:
Jams🎶
This week, I've been listening to a lot of Yola! A coworker put me on her, and I'm really enjoying her music. You can find more of the music I'm listening to here:
Blooper Reel🎞
- My max typing speed was 70 WPM this week (I'm on a journey to hit 100 WPM)
- Arsenal did the most Arsenal thing by losing to Brentford on the opening day of the new premier league season. We all saw it coming, and yet the embarrassment still hits. Stay tuned for more (and hopefully positive) updates on my love-hate relationship with this club.
As always, thanks for reading! Talk soon.
Awoe ✌🏾