I said I was going to blog more and I’m working on that. Trust me, I didn’t plan on letting weeks pass by in between the last blog posts and this one, but I’ve been busy. “With what?“, you ask..

I mentioned in a previous post that I was asked to hop aboard a robotics project with a few graduate students. Now, at first, I was shocked, excited, and eager in the beginning while I’m in the Chair of the Computer Science Department’s office. I didn’t know what type of work it would entail and at that time, it didn’t matter. He asked me and I was honored.

So, I accepted. I attended the first meeting about the project that they were currently working on. And let me tell you, after that first meeting, I was unsure I was a good fit for the group. They spoke a language that was unknown to me. It seemed as though everyone seemed to understand how to do what needed to be done except me and I began to doubt myself. We were all given individual assignments to work on and present our findings at the next meeting. This bothered me.

But, I thought to myself — this is the time to exude your knowledge and your willingness to learn more. I took off work early and I went to the library and did some research. And more research. And then more research after that. I was determined to have a presentation that was informative and included information that was sought after and needed.

And apparently, I made a lasting impression… an impression so big that the Chair invited me to speak to high school students for the rest of this month about our undergraduate programs and my experiences.

I left an impression so big that I’m permanently a part of this group that’s working on several different projects.

An impression so huge that I receive a stipend for the research hours that I spend in our robotics lab.

And an impression so big that I get to program my very own robot which gives me a head start on my project for my Master’s Degree. (I plan to start that in the Fall.)

Every thing still feels like a dream. I’ve waited for this moment. I’ve worked hard for this type of recognition and to be allowed this type of opportunity. Needless to say, my family is extremely proud and their encouragement means a lot to me.

I know this sounds strange, but this sort of makes me look forward to being laid off this year. And that’s probably because I pretty much already have a job ready for me this summer doing what I love. And it can only get from here. (: