They call it water soldier. Looks innocent—like pineapple tops floating on the surface. But it cuts you if you get too close. I think about that plant when I walk through the department halls. How I probably look like I belong here, floating among the other grad students. But underneath, I'm crowding out everything that used to grow naturally in my life. The imposter thoughts spread fast. Started small in my first year, just questioning one paper. Now they've taken over entire conversations, every lab meeting, every email I send. I'm disrupting my own ecosystem. My advisor says I need to "remove the negative self-talk." But you're not supposed to handle invasive species yourself. Some things require professional intervention. I filed a report with the counseling center yesterday. Took a photo of where I am, marked my location: drowning. #Science #ImposterInTheRoom #GradSchoolLife