�������Թ�

Hey, hi, and hello there: Welcome to the blog!

Before we start, quick little shout out to my lovely managers Caitlin Truesdale and Dave Cranshaw, who have supported me throughout my blogging journey. Thank you guys so much for my little internet cubicle, and for supporting me through my blogging journey. It always means more than you know. Sending you both all my swag!

Now, where were we? Ah, yes:

For the past three years, I’ve been the one and only “�������Թ� Blogger.” For those who are new, my name is Beatrice, and I’m a nutrition sciences major with a pre-medical studies designation, here at the University of New Haven. This makes me both an excellent home cook and a chronic over-achiever, and I think my remaining brain cells have finally decided to fire after three years of this collegiate insanity.

When I originally started writing the blog, I didn’t really consider it blogging. At the time, I was conducting research during my Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) (2023) on microplastics in the white tissue of fish, and I happened to inquire about blogging as a method of keeping a diary of sorts to track my research journey. So, in between melting fish and chugging coffee – because one of those is tooootttaaalllyyyy normal – I somehow found time to tell the world about what I was up to. Obviously, I never thought anything would come of it – surely, this hobby would end with my research and life would resume to its normal, mundane mundane-ness.

Editor: “Hey, would you want to write for the department?”
Me: “W�󲹳�”
Editor: “Yeah. You get to write for fun and about student life. Does that sound good?”
Me: [Tears of happiness]

So, queue some paperwork, keyboard bongos, and a couple years, and here we are. Not everything that I create is going to be fantastic every time (despite that being the goal), but I think the thing that’s so important about any hobby-based job is to make sure you’re still having fun.

All my artists out there, remember that your art is your soul, and you cannot always sell it!! It’s okay to keep some things to yourself ❤️

The things that I’ve come to realize as an ancient 21-year-old (yes, I’m no longer ten, and I can drink the adult grape juice now), is that it’s okay. That’s it. It’s okay. It’s okay to have acne scars and a B+, because those aren’t going to ruin your life, I promise. To my pre-meds out there, stop stressing about getting every single little thing done for medical school. It’s not supposed to be a checklist; they want to see a well-rounded individual with ideas, aspirations, drive, and, most importantly, grit. Keep on the grind. Don’t let setbacks wreck your confidence. Failure is never meant to deter you, but to push you forward to be a better version of yourself.

Not everyone’s life is going to look the same. You are exactly where you are meant to be, and you need to trust in whatever thing you put your faith in. Is it God? Your dog? A tree in your backyard? Great. Trust in it, and see how amazing life can be when you do so.

I wish you all an excellent start to the school year, and I hope you have enjoyed this little blurb as much as I did writing it. In terms of blog agenda, you will find new articles (hopefully) every week talking about anything from diet debunks to crying over burnt waffles. Here, we are transparent, open, and honest because frankly, I’m tired of the sugarcoating.

Give me the bad, the good, or the ugly, and you’ll find us sharing a grilled cheese at Jazzman’s. Plain and simple. As always, thank you for reading, and know that the support of this blog does not go unnoticed! Feel free to share with a friend, family member, your professor, or your favorite plant. I’m proud of you for you, from the biggest mistake to the smallest achievement. Your efforts here will not go unnoticed, and know you always belong, even if you don’t feel like it. If there are any questions, comments, and/or concerns, feel free to shoot me a message at bglav1@unh.newhaven.edu 🙂

I’m here for you.
With peace, love, and peanut butter,
Beatrice