To-TEA-ly Bri

I have learned so much this year, and not all of it pertained to chemistry as you might have expected. This post describes some things that I learned about graduate school, that I wish I would have known before coming in. Hopefully this can help someone else out on their journey. My desk on a busy day :)                                    1. It's not always about what you know. This is probably one of the most important things I could have picked up on in my program. Being book smart can only get you so far, no matter the field you are in. At some point, you have to rely on the connections made with others to help push you along. And I'm not just talking about professors and people super high up on the tenured totem pole. I'm talking about secretaries of offices, the barista at the Starbucks, the person that works in the mail room.... and of course professors and faculty too. But if you treat everyone with respect and the way that you want to be treated, thos

Hello everyone! Yes, it is true! I have taken the plunge. Gone all-in. Went cold turkey...erhmmm...cold veggies is probably a better term. But anyways, YES! I am officially a vegetarian, working towards veganism. I began this journey on March 8, 2017. Which I know that was not that long ago, but everyone has to start somewhere, right? I'll just give a brief explanation for my transition and then tell you what this new section of my blog will be about. This all started at the end of February and I was watching some of my favorite YouTubers and 3 of them, on 3 separate occasions, had mentioned the movie Cowspiracy. Now, I don't think that any of these YouTubers know each other. And if they do, it is just a crazy coincidence. But THEN, on instagram, I saw someone mention the movie again. So on Tuesday night, I decided to just look up the movie and it was on Netflix. So I watched it. And about 30 minutes in, I was sold. I had heard everything I needed to hear about the en

And just like that, my first year of graduate school was complete! I can NOT believe that I survived it....but then again, how could I possibly doubt myself? #HumbleBrag After my first committee meeting! :) I have learned sooo much this year, not only academically, but about myself personally. This has been quite the journey. I know that I have been MIA for a while now, but I am back and excited to have the time to blog some more. I have so much to say and so much to update you guys on with my life. If you're not already, follow me on instagram (@12bre45) to keep up with the latest. I post most frequently there. But in the meantime, here is a quick life-update Graduate School  This first year has been amazing. I completed my second semester with all As, had a great first committee meeting (which I will write a separate post about), and I have made some great strides in my research. For those of you that are new here, I go to the University of Mississippi and I am worki