2020 Reflections and Moving Forward

Hola, que tal todos?!

So I figured that this year I would start using this website feature more often. Use it to write my thoughts and share the news with those interested in what I am doing professionally and occasionally personally.

I will begin by saying that 2020 was an interesting year for me as it was filled with plenty of ups and downs like many of us. I will try my best to focus on the positive aspects of the year though and that I am grateful and blessed that all those close to me including my family, friends, and mentors are all safe and healthy. I am also grateful for each and everyone who has supported my various projects and endeavors such as Academics and Amigos, my small publications, and passing my comprehensive exam. Without the support of you all, I seriously do not know how I would have done it. A special thank you to my family and mentors for all their help and motivation for pushing me to be my best!

With that being said, I also want to be honest. After taking my exam, I have felt extremely burnt out. More so than I have ever felt in my life. I used the holidays to recharge myself for this next semester as I have my goals and accomplishments I want to achieve. The burnout not only was due to professional reasons but for personal reasons as well. I must admit that I have been struggling with my mental health.

It’s not something I have been open with others but I realize that I must be open about. I have felt worn down by a lot around me, but thanks to my loved ones I have been able to keep afloat. So one of my goals will be to take care of myself in a multitude of ways including taking care of my physical and mental health.

By doing so, I have decided to put my podcast, Academics and Amigos on hold for now. It won’t be forever, just a hiatus for now. When I do return to that project, I want to be able to make it even better. I did find it difficult to try and keep up with it though as a one-person podcast crew. But I am still passionate about that project but feel best to put it on hold right now. I also want to try to reduce my social media usage. We’ll see how well that turns out.

On a more positive note, I hope to finally get a full publication and continue preparing for my next stages as a Ph.D. student and (future) scholar. I have some other cool projects that I hope to announce later, but for now, I will end it here.

I feel that 2021 will be a better year and one filled with health, happiness, positivity, blessings, and success. I hope that you all have that and more this year and always. Thank you all for your support and love! I hope to continue to make you all proud. Much love to you all. Thanks for reading.

Hasta la proxima vez,

A. Ramirez