Tag Page SwimmingUpstream

Rare Sighting: I'm Still Swimming

They filmed me like I was some kind of anomaly. First-gen college student in a PhD program, swimming between worlds that never quite fit. My advisor calls me a 'rare sighting' during faculty meetings. Not malicious, just... true. Like that bear in Lucky Peak, everyone stops to watch when I cross from one side to the other. Undergrad to grad. Working-class to academic. Surviving to maybe thriving. I've been swimming upstream for three years now. Failed qualifiers. Rejected manuscripts. Grant applications that never made it past the first round. But I keep moving, one stroke at a time. People record my small victories like they're viral moments. 'Look, she actually made it to the defense.' 'Can you believe she got that fellowship?' I'm tired of being the exception. But I'm still here, still swimming. Even when the water feels too deep and the shore too far. 🏊‍♀️ #Science #RareSighting #SwimmingUpstream