Safe to say that Hawaii has been treating me well … for the most part. Aside from the delicious food and amazing company (thanks, Kepa, Chantal, Shiming, and Leimaile), the heat and humid caught me off guard. On Wednesday, June 21, 2017, I made the mistake of not drinking enough water, napping without the fan, and not eating enough food (the lunch I had wasn’t fulfilling). All of those symptoms added up to a migraine headache. Oops …
But I am better after eating a scrumptious breakfast meal the next morning. I was so energized that I made my way to University of Hawai’i: Manoa. The campus was beautiful and spacious. My visit was so enticing that I forgot to photograph my adventure (Also, I didn’t want to look like an obvious tourist). Instead of heading to the admission center at the college, I went straight to the East-West Center, an organization that focuses on bridging the gap between the United States with Asian Pacific Regions through research and dialogues. My discovery of the center was recommended by friends who also notified me about their Graduate Degree scholarships. As I could learn and read more about the center’s mission and organization online, I decided to talk to a representative to hear more details and potential advice about the scholarship.
Like my headache, I felt heated with a passion during my conversation with the representative (Shoutout to Vicki!). Our conversation led me to imagine myself to continue learning subjects that spark my intellectual curiousity. My visit left me with a smile on the potential idea of attending the University. Upon my trip back to my friend’s house, I was making mental notes of other potential campuses. My list might include UCLA (I am thinking about you, Center for Ethnocommunications) and San Francisco State University (the “mecca” of Ethnic Studies). After settling down, I immediately started to do my research and saw UH: Manoa’s American Studies in which led me to see faculties like Vernadette Gonzalez and Joyce Mariano who incorporated some degree of Filipino/Filipino American Studies into their research. Reading the biographies at those faculties got me thinking, “if they can do that, then I can definitely do the same thing.”
So now I am considering graduate school … But I know I have a lot of research and soul searching before working on any documents. If you are a professor or a current graduate student, I would love to connect and chat about your process of deciding a program and how you came to the conclusion of those who accepted you.
Yet, I have to remind myself that I am still on vacation. Luckily, various beaches have gotten me to cool down and enjoy the moment as much as possible. But that won’t diminish my excitement as I would gaze beyond the horizon of the sea, thinking about what might await in my journey.
Was have you been heated about? What is a goal you are eager and motivated to work on? Leave a comment below.
Reys of Life 