Time for a sappy in honor of 1 month of 'Dear Grad Student'

I truly cannot begin to explain what the last month of this podcast has meant to me. Releasing this, especially through professional networks, was one of the scariest things I've ever done. 1/

I worried it would keep me from future jobs, give those who look down on me fuel to continue to light their fires, or be a time of embarrassment that I'd never live down. Instead, this podcast has connected me w/ 1300+ of you on Twitter, 75 on Instagram, & hundreds on Discord 2/

In one month, the podcast has had almost 2,000 downloads and I've yet to go 1 day without someone sending me or one of my guests a message about the impact the podcast has had on their grad school experience. And that was the whole point of taking this jump in the first place. 3/

To me, one of the craziest parts is that the episodes coming out now are *still* the episodes I planned before the podcast went live. So, all of the INCREDIBLE students, post-docs, professors, and professionals that have reached out to me to be a guest are still to come. 4/

Huge shout out to those who agreed to be a part of this before it existed and took a leap of faith on rando from Twitter with 380 followers: @ematkins912 @DustinHaraden @k8_mcc @__JasminBrooks @annyreyesNeuro @PhoenixRCrane @ryanlinnbrown @pshhkels and my Twitterless friends 5/

As a sneak peak to those coming up this semester, please give a follow to my future guests -- I cannot WAIT to record and post episodes with ya'll: @KarenTang_ @CaraADavidson @GuizellaRD @Kanaskie_MSc @realKatrinaD @overhannahlyze @BriannaABaker 6/

And shout out to the 50+ others who solidified *amazing* episode topics with me for next semester and onward -- I cannot wait for you to tell your stories and make your impact. I am genuinely honored that you are allowing 'Dear Grad Student' to be a place for you to do so. 7/

So, to anyone out there with an idea or a passion for service or #scicomm or whatever here on #AcademicTwitter or in grad school: GO FOR IT. Whether it impacts 1 person, thousands, or just you, your idea is worthy of coming to life and you are deserving of that chance. 8/

And if you're seeing this thread and have no idea what I'm talking about or you want to be reminded where to find the podcast, you can listen here or click this link to be sent to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you find podcasts: https://bit.ly/35N3bof  9/

Just, thank you all so much. I've said it before and I'll say it again:

This podcast can't and won't exist without other's involvement. So, thank you for helping my dream become a reality. And until next time,

Warmest regards,

Best wishes,

Sincerely,

Elana

@OpenAcademics #AcademicChatter #phdlife #phdchat #WomenInSTEM #AcademicMentalHealth #AcademicTwitter #BiInSci