This might be the best birthday gift so far after the JPA scholarship! Haha~
I've not wanted anything so badly for quite some time...and I would've been really disappointed if I ended up not getting it...
I'm so happy! Have not been so estatic for quite a while! Even though I have so many things to do (8 page environmental autobiography due Wed >.<, Bio midterm Thursday that I haven't finished studying for, Buddhism reading+response paper due tomorrow, Bio lab assignment for which i need to study bio first before I can do, due tomorrow...T_T) I want to share this joy with you guys.
I finally got a field research internship in Minnesota that I've been hoping to get for quite some time! It's extra sweet because the process involved determination on my part, as well as lots of support from Dr. Zerega and parents and encouragement from friends.
It's kind of complicated story. My summer plans. I wanted to get the DAAD scholarship, so I could go do research in Germany + have a good reason/get paid to travel to Europe + see my brother in UK. I hesitated on that, but at the last minute (1 week before deadline), 1) because I dreamt that I met Josiah (my brother) in person AND my father; which made me miss him and my dad so much; 2)ultimately because of Esther's encouragement (because she said, That's plenty of time!). So I applied in a rush and managed to submit my application, but unfortunately I didn't get it. Luckily I wasn't that disappointed (wait too long until sien already- just want to know result and get it over with). After that, I approached Dr. Zerega (director of Plant Bio Graduate Program at NU), and asked for help with finding a lab/summer opportunities. I also hesitated (how many times did I walk outside her office in Hogan debating whether or not to go talk to her (without any notification in advance?) it was God's grace that gave me the courage to do so, and not once but several times! Dr. Zerega said if i could send her my CV and course list she'll help me send that out to the faculty (and see who can offfer me something). Great thing that I had my CV and course list ready from DAAD applications. So I quickly did that. Two people responded. One was a grad student working with fungi and soil (i'd take that if there wasn't anything else, but ultimately i want to study something other than fungi, though they make me laugh). The other one was Dr. Stuart Wagenius, who said he'll consider an unpaid internship on Project Echinacea (purple coneflower, a common prairie plant) in Minnesota; housing and transportation provided. At that time I wasn't sure whether I wanted that, coz ultimately i want to study tropical biology, not prairies, though i do like prairies. So I waited before responding.
At the same time, I tried to find a research position in Malaysia, so I could do research in tropical biology + go home and meet Josiah (coz he's going back home in June/July) How? So happened that mami's old friend was workign at University Malaysia Sabah, and I tried to contact a researcher at UMS through her (networking :O), and I was determined. However, this researcher's emails were not working, but still I tried all avenues (sent him a message on Facebook - weird i know right! but i was desperate lol) and i couldn't get a reply. So around the end of April, it was getting late, and pami advised that I take the Minnesota internship: better "quality" (using my mom's terms)-- meaning that i'm sure i'll be learning something instead of risking being misused as an office girl in UMS (my imagination :P). And I decided to contact Dr. Wagenius about the Minnesota internship.
He replied! He is still taking! But I'd have to write a cover letter. So I did (luckily i had my "personal statement" that I wrote for Dr. Zerega that I could adapt easily). And then he wanted to do a phone interview wor. Then I said I want to meet him face-to-face coz I suspect I'd be too awkward on the phone. And so last Thursday I went up to the Chicago Botanic Garden to his office. It was funny that in my mind I didn't think of it as an interview at all, but as just a chat with a professor, so I was totally not stressed out and i did not prepare any interview questions/answers (I did read up on the Echinacea project so I wouldn't be clueless if he asked me about it :P). It was a fun talk... I was being super honest with him about my weaknesses like being shy and not assertive, and I talked as I normally would to a professor (including stopping at awkward points in the conversation and answering with short awkward answers). Only after the interview I realized that it WAS AN INTERVIEW. Lol.
After the interview, he said he'll have to consider what i can contribute bla bla and would contact me the coming week.
And today......after my conservation psychology class, I pulled up my laptop (for other purposes) and this was in my email inbox:
Hi Maria,
It was good interviewing you last week. I would like to offer you a position on Team Echinacea this summer! It's an unpaid summer internship June 13 - Sept 2...(....)...It's going to be a good summer and this internship will be a great learning opportunity.
Let me know if you have any questions and if you accept the position.
Best,
Stuart
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I was super super happy! Super happy! I still am happy (though stress of workload creeping up). I immediately forwarded the email to my parents. :)
Praise the Lord. Thanks to everyone who helped me in this process whether directly or indirectly.
Sincerely,
Maria
Now off to actual work! Good luck to everyone on your endeavours! Have courage and go for it!
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