I have joined the Army of brave souls who completed their #PhD during the global #pandemic of 2020 #COVID19 . I am full of gratitude to everyone that contributed to this mammoth achievement directly or indirectly. 🎓👨🔬👨💼 @forbeslabumass @JWLeeJWL @UMassChemEng #microbiome #mucus 
I am looking into ways to have my name on the diploma to be 'Abhinav Priyanka Sharma'. My wife @priyankaitkar9 has contributed equally towards this degree emotionally. Without her love & support it would be incredibly hard to find the courage to keep going when I hit rock bottom.
My parents never went to college but made sure I had the best education possible. Even if that meant keeping me in the city away from them since the age of 5. They have invested their entire life emotionally and financially to my education. Hope I can give back as much as I can.
A mentor told me recently that in order to enhance my creative side and achieve my full potential I must 'Forgive and Forget'. I have been trying this and it is painful. Instead I am changing the psychology a little and trying to meditate on 'Forgive and Love'. A lot less painful
In the upcoming days I will share my learnings from the past 15 years of my educational journey. It is my goal that I can help as many people as possible and hope they don't repeat the mistakes. If I can help just one person in the process, the goal will be achieved. #givingback
Finally, I want to acknowledge the toxic culture of academia and prevalence of #depression in grad students, postdocs, and PIs. I suffered through severe depression cycles and was able to continue with the support of amazing people. There is always someone if you look for them!
I see hope for the future since #academics are acknowledging the real issues and discussing solutions openly. We need to collectively work on solving these issues #depression #racialinjustice #microagression #genderbias #LGBTQRights #InclusiveEducationNow #BlackLivesMatter
@threadreaderapp unroll please!
