Yesterday marked the end of my time in New York for my first summer as a Laidlaw Scholar. I have been so grateful for the unique and challenging experiences this summer has provided me to this point, and I wanted to share some of the things I've learned thus far.

1. Research isn't done in a vacuum, and the work of scholars is reliant on the connection to others. I have found my work has been made all the more strong when I have leaned into the idea that my research is just a note in the network of housing equity research. By working on expanding my literature review and learning the methodologies of others, I've felt more confident in the work I'm conducting. 

2.  Uncertainty is natural, and honestly, encouraged. It's helpful to realize the boundaries, capacities, and limits of what you can and cannot do. I have found a lot of solace in encouraging myself to feel secure in the research that I can conduct in one summer. I won't be able to solve the housing crisis, but I can lend help in understanding affordability in a specific context, and how it may help us understand housing inequity as multidimensional.

3. Check your data once, then check it again. And one more time for good measure. I've found myself in the middle of multi-thousand row long excel spreadsheets, and without getting too lost in the numbers, I've needed to pore through my data a handful of times to truly get a grasp of what it was saying. By triple-checking my numbers, I've also been able to ensure my many formulas and calculations were correct. Have patience with yourself, and the numbers.

4. Remember why you're here. I'm deeply passionate about housing inequity, but there's been moments where my days in the library have gotten too long. Take a walk outside, connect with nature, and make connections with others so that you can show up to your research as happy, healthy, and wholly committed.