Wednesday, March 12, 2025

"Live your life as you meant to live it"

"Live your life as you meant to live it..." That was the response that a fellow panelist gave to a student's question about whether it made sense to apply for a Fulbright scholarship now that federal funding is being pulled and the Department of Education is being disbanded. I thought it was a wonderful reminder not to obey/comply/be defeated in advance. 

I think the talk went well. It was a full house, and I have to love the students who whooped at the end of my presentation and then promptly left. But I'm grateful to be working with colleagues who care about students and our world. 

Note to myself. I've got to stop spending hours upon hours on a presentation that lasts mere minutes, right? But lots of people wanted my slides, so perhaps it will live on in that way. 

Pic: My jasmine is blooming! It's glorious!

16 comments:

Nicole said...

But those hours you spend preparing obviously are effective, because look at everyone's response! I'm sure you are a great presenter and I wish I was there.
It's so funny you mention this, because at book club today a woman was telling me about her daughter who is in grad school in Pennsylvania, working on a big project with NIH. She's worried her project's going to get pulled, etc., and this is obviously an important thing in her life. I guess everyone just keeps on keeping on, and I think "live your life as you're meant to live it" is a good reminder.

Jenny said...

This all sounds amazing. I love that you had a full house and it sounds like it went really well. And I love the quote. We have to keep living our lives!

J said...

Agreed, we have to live our lives, and we cannot be defeated in advance. You're doing amazing work, keep it up!

maya said...

Thanks, Nicole! XOXO I think it's a version of Parinson's Law? I'm capable of letting something take up all the time I have :).

I hate to admit it, but I think it's going to be a rocky back-and-forth for a lot of educational funding.

maya said...

Let's do it, Jenny!

maya said...

How kind of you, J. It was but a small drop in the bucket, and I was glad to do it. XOXO

Gillian said...

Congrats.

StephLove said...

A friend of mine from college is teaching at a university Sweden on a Fullbright, waiting to see if she has to come home in the middle of the school year. In some cases, home or host schools are stepping into the gap for both professors and students to let them finish their projects. But at least she's an adult, with savings, in case she has to leave suddenly. In some cases, college students have been left stranded in foreign countries, having lost not just their scholarship but their travel money to get home.

maya said...

Thanks!

maya said...

Steph, Yes... Sadly, it already happening. MSU plays host to several Humphrey Fellows, and they're all going home early--what a sad disruption for these early career scholars.

Nance said...

The whiplash going on right now in this administration means nothing is certain. Anything could happen. LITERALLY. I like your colleague's response because WHO KNOWS? Don't be defeated in advance is exactly right.

Great news about your talk, maya. (But of course!)

Lisa's Yarns said...

I'm glad you got some whoops from supportive students!! It is hard to plan in this environment when it feels like everything we could count on is crumbling to the ground... But that is great advice.

The greenery in your house is so beautiful!!

maya said...

The courts are pushing back, Nance! This gives me so much hope in our institutions. But it's still a lot of uncertainty for people, and if there is no safety net, it spells outright disaster.

maya said...

Lisa, but I didn't get many questions! I felt a bit let down by that. Questions are the metric of talk success, no :)?

Thank you re. greenery. That solarium is the reason we got this house, and it continues to be my sanctuary.

Jeanie said...

That is such a simple piece of advice. But it is so very wise. Love your gorgeous plant!

maya said...

Thank you, Jeanie. Yes--I thought it was a simple yet effective reminder not to change who we want to be.

that it's only a doorway, that I'm only a door

So I go bravely before memory pet my parents so gently and secretly check  that they breathe the day begins or it does not I can no longer j...