Friday, June 29, 2018
By:
This week was a little far from average for me. I didn't discover the graviton (yet) nor did I figure out what happened before the big bang. Instead, I decided to shave my head for breast cancer awareness in honor of my stepmother who was recently diagnosed. It is saddening to know that while I am interning at NASA in D.C. and having an incredible experience, there are things back home and in life that one cannot easily escape. I am mindful of the things going on at home while I am here, but I do not look at it negatively. Things (whether beneficial or not) happen all of the time to each of us that are out of our control, but it is comforting to know that I can control how I react to these situations.
I am no stranger to shortcomings in life, but I feel that is what makes me who I am today: an honest, outgoing, focused, and inspired individual. I enjoy life so much because I understand how precious it is and how much for granted we take it. Just the week before I began this program I was at a funeral for one of my friends who had passed away due to a drug overdose, and being in those situations always delivers you a cold plate of reality. You focus on building more personal relationships with others because you have no idea how easy it is for them to come and go. That is one of my goals for this year and internship program, and I feel as if I have already built strong relationships with the other interns, and I look forward to spending the remaining six weeks with them.
After watching my hair fall from my head onto the bathroom floor, I was reminded in those moments of my family at home who support me through everything regardless of our situation. I take nothing for granted at this point and I will do my best to make my friends and family proud of someone they've helped throughout the years. I am as confident as ever with my job thanks to my awesome mentor, Dr. Edward Wollack. We have spoken multiple times this week about my progress on the project and I am confident that I will have something worthy of presenting when the program is over. This week I had dinner at a decent Italian restaurant with the CEO of AIP and I shared the delight having cold beer spilled on me with Jesus Perez. This weekend the plans are left up to the interns, I plan on spending some time at the museums and catching up on my microwave resonator readings.
Daniel Morales