Hello and welcome to The Encouragement Beacon! In this series, I share encouragement for graduate students as they continue their academic journey. Every Friday, you’ll receive a free note that cheers you on. That way, even if you don’t receive encouragement from anyone else, you’ll at least hear it from me!
The middle of an academic term is brutal.
It simultaneously feels like it’s disappeared in the blink of an eye, but it’s also going excruciatingly slow.
If you’re feeling burnt out, it’s completely valid. You’re learning the balance of creating knowledge, consuming existing research, while earning grades that satisfy the GPA requirement (or you’re trying to overachieve—a common urge for grad students).
On top of that, the universe said, “Let’s put this journey on hard mode,” and now you’re trying to survive while higher ed is crumbling. Our fascist government is taking away funding left and right. Cowards are censoring research topics. Scholars are losing jobs. Opportunities are falling fewer and farther between. White Christian supremacy is fighting to stay dominant.
It’s exhausting pursuing a graduate degree while hearing breaking news every day. But this is not a time to give up. Your research is needed now more than ever.
Take heart that what you have to say is important. Someone out there needs to hear your research. You won’t see the fruits of your labor immediately. But we also won’t see the downfall of our fascist government quickly either. Keep going. Your research deserves to outlast fascism.
Checking in with y’all, how are you doing? Let me know in the comments!
Know someone who could use some encouragement? Pass this note to them!