It's safe to say that we've all been impacted in big ways by recent events related to COVID-19.
As an agronomy graduate student in my second year at Kansas State University, plans have been meticulously laid out and prepared for my second jam-packed summer growing season. Everything from selection of our state-wide locations to global Visiting Scholar interviews were done, and we were prepped for a running start in April.
When the COVID-19 pandemic first started to bare its teeth, I was attentive, but not concerned. This quickly changed as subsequent hours created drastic and uncertain scenarios, and suddenly, my full-steam train came to a screeching halt. Questions circling in my mind ranged from when this would end to if field studies would even be possible this year, and it was completely exhausting. I have no control – none of us do, and accepting that continues to be difficult at times.
Everyone's normal is new, our worries are real, and challenges are everywhere. So what CAN we do about it?
Instead of choosing to worry about what I could not do from my parents' farm in Missouri, I purposed to focus on what I COULD do. As an aspiring researcher and educator, connecting with people and sharing what I have with others is important to me. I think regardless of where we find ourselves, all of us have meaningful things to add to the conversation.
Between farm chores, R-code runs, and Zoom calls, I worked to genuinely develop something I have wanted to do for awhile, but never had the opportunity to implement.
After polishing up my project website, I found the incentive to start this research blog and really dive into improving my professional online presence. I had never blogged before, but I decided to really give it my best effort. (Besides, who doesn’t like learning more about agronomy?) Although the blog is obviously still a rough work-in-progress, I have been truly inspired by the support it has gained. The response has been phenomenal, and I feel like I am able to connect and share what I have learned more than I ever could before with more people than ever before.
This is not only an opportunity to practice my writing, but also to enhance priceless skills like graphic design and audience engagement – all of which are critical for being truly effective as a researcher at a land-grant university.
As the agronomy community, we are now faced with a choice. The situation we find our lives, careers, and futures seemingly “stuck” in can either be an opportunity or an obstacle, and that is a decision only we can make for ourselves.
I chose to try something new and develop myself in creative ways to positively impact those around me, and I wish the same for everyone in our community. Now is a perfect time to find new ways to connect with the world and support one another in this venture. These creative avenues are necessary today and important in the future to foster relationships and a sense of community with our students, our farmers, our neighbors, and the public.
As the famous old saying goes, let’s make these lemons into lemonade.