Wow, the whole program is over after this Friday. It’s crazy to think that all the non-Purdue students will be packing up and going to their home states. I’m really going to miss Jenny and her crazy personality. She’s a goofball, but so am I, and I really had a ton of fun with her. I know 8 weeks is a super short amount of time in the grand scheme of things, but it feels like I’ve known Jen forever!

Yesterday, Lindsey Purcell came out to Squirrel park and climbed with Jen and I again, for one last hoo-rah. It was a really good break from all the stress of doing last-minute revisions and edits to all of our final presentations and posters and things. Jen even limb-walked, which is much scarier than it really sounds. #proud. I miss climbing, and I think I’m going to make an effort to find more time to do it this school year.

I learned a lot during this program. I gained a great amount of confidence in my own research and statistical abilities, which is what I am most proud of.

Now that I have this experience I feel much more prepared to take on grad school, whenever I decide to do that. Research doesn’t seem so daunting now, and I’ve learned that I actually enjoy the whole process much more than I thought I did. I still have plans to do habitat rehabilitation or to manage habitat for wildlife. That’s what my ultimate goals are, even though I know no matter what I end up doing in the natural resources field, I’ll be happy. I feel so lucky to have found my passion and to have gotten as much experience as I have, at such an early start in my career. I can’t wait to see where I end up. Like my whole philosophy in life, I’m just going where the wind takes me.

I’m really excited to present on Friday and be completely done, and then move on to other things. I’m looking forward to the rest of my summer before classes start, especially my trip to Portland with one of my best buds, Avery.

I guess there won’t really be a next time, so I can’t use my usual sign off. Soo, thanks for reading my blogs this summer and hearing what I have to say. It’s been fun!

Emily