Happy 2026!!

It has been far, far too long since I last published a blog post, and there are a lot of different reasons for that. Like most people, I’ve been really busy. I’ve also been pretty dang stressed. And (luckily?) I’ve found some more fun ways to spend my free time. And, collectively, these things have moved my blog to the back of my mind, to the point I almost forgot about it 😅 “almost” because I actually have five partially written blogs in my Google Drive that I started between my last blog post and this one but never found the energy to finish writing and have a lot more ideas for future ones…

Nonetheless, this is the one we have today. And we’re just going to write it and publish it, because sometimes…that’s all you really need to do. 

One reason I haven’t focused on writing my blog as much lately is because I’ve been working on writing up my PhD research for publication!! Which is super exciting for a lot of reasons – (1) It means all the hard work I’ve been doing over the last three years has finally summed up to tell a good (publishable) story and (2) …this is my ticket out of here (“here” being graduate school)!!

I’m wrapping up the final two experiments for this paper, and then we will submit and cross our fingers the reviewers like it (and don’t ask for too many revisions or extra experiments) (hm, maybe I should write a blog on the scientific manuscript publication process…). As you can imagine, those final two experiments have *also* been consuming a lot of my time.

Additionally, this past semester I did a writing internship with my University’s Director of Writing Services, where I gained experience reviewing and editing PhD and Masters theses, manuscripts, grants, personal statements, and a lot more. It was a great experience and helped show me how much I truly love and enjoy the editing (and re-editing) process. It is so fulfilling to see someone’s work improve and grow with each revision, to meet new people, and to learn their story of who they are and who they want to become.

I’ve learned recently that more people than I realized read this blog, and it means a lot to me. It has shown me the power of writing and the power of sharing our stories. These are two things that I knew before, but only recently really hit home for me. Which is a bit ironic, considering how if you ask me what my favorite type of book is (or look at my Reading List page), I’ll tell you that my favorites are memoirs and any book that can really connect you with the characters in it (so much so that you end up a sobbing mess). At work, I love reading grants and attending career stories…because I love learning other people’s stories (and hence, the power of them).

For me, this blog has always been a fun way to document and share my experiences throughout graduate school – only 2% of the world’s population gets a PhD, and I’d argue that 100% of the people who pursue a PhD, have no clue what they are doing most of the time 😂So I’ve also always hoped that by sharing my story, it might help someone too.

I have a lot of big things ahead of me: publishing my research, presenting a platform talk at the upcoming Society of Toxicology meeting in San Diego (eeeeeeeeeee!!! Grad school dreams come true!!!!), giving four talks in a span of a month, and really beginning to think about what I want to do next (after my PhD). I’ve got a pretty good idea now of what I like and what I don’t like…so I’m excited to see where I end up! I’ve got an open mind, and some ideas…it’s similar to how I like to plan trips: having ideas and plans for things to do, but also maximizing flexibility 😎 (life never goes exactly as you planned).

I was told early on in my graduate career that each year of graduate school has its own unique challenges. And each year of graduate school…that rings true. The past six months have been especially challenging for me…but I think they’ve also helped me grow a lot, while also revealing to me what areas I still need to improve upon. These experiences have given me a lot of insight on the types of questions I’d like to ask when interviewing for my next role, what kind of boss I’d like to be in the future, and how to balance relationships.

I’m currently taking a course titled, “Leadership & Management for Scientists.” We’re only three weeks into the course (and we only meet once a week), but it has already been incredibly influential towards my personal and professional growth – and I do have plans to write blog posts regarding some of these class topics, because a lot of these skills are things we are not taught…but they are soooo important!!!

For example, we recently had to take the Gallup CliftonStrengths Top 5 assessment (an assessment to identify your top 5 strengths). I learned that my top 5 strengths are: Empathy, Achiever, Connectedness, Relator, and Consistency. At first glance, the “achiever” and “consistency” strengths made sense to me…almost everyone who knows me comments on my organization, work ethic, communication, and ability to show up and follow through on my commitments 😆But, interestingly, my initial response to “empathy”, “connectedness”, and “relator” was feeling that these were not my strengths…but rather my weaknesses. 

After further thought, I realized that maybe our greatest strengths can also be our greatest weaknesses when not “used appropriately.” And I realized that the things I critique myself on most, and the things I stress about most…are probably the things that are most important to me. I worry about my relationships with others because they mean a lot to me – so I have to think for a really, really, really, really long time about how to confront someone or have a difficult conversation 😆

…if you can’t tell, over the last few months, I have been doing a lot and thinking a lot – and that’s why this blog got pushed to the wayside. But, I love this blog, I love reading and sharing stories, and I know with certainty that Knicki five years from now will read this stuff back with some extra kindness and empathy, wishing she could tell present Knicki that it all really does work out, and that everything is going to be okay.

–K out!! (but not for too long this time)