Recently, I had the opportunity to present at GW research days, an event where students from all different disciplines present their research projects to students and faculty. It turned out to be a great event to showcase what I have been working on for the past year and I ended up learning a lot from the experience.
To prepare for the event, I had to make a poster detailing my research. This was a new experience for me as I had to summarize my findings in a coherent and impactful way. During the process, I started to feel anxious about having to articulate my project. I wondered whether my results and analysis were sufficiently strong and whether I would be able to properly answer questions on the topic. While I had previously been anticipating this day, I was now starting to feel apprehensive.
As GW Research Day began, I began to feel my nerves steadying with confidence in my poster and encouraging words from my lab team. During the few hours, I talked to many students and faculty and presented to a panel of judges. I found myself enjoying the fact that I got to share the project that I have been invested in for the past few months. I was even able to have a conversation with the judges about what the next steps in my project would be and it gave me a few ideas for continuing this project.
This event and my research in general have taught me that it is normal to feel uneasy when starting something new but that stepping out of your comfort zone is often worth the reward.