Several years ago, my father told me that whenever he heard the song, “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus, he thought about me. Mind you, at the time, I was a rebellious, angsty teenager who refused to be associated with that song. As I’ve grown older, however, that is one of the most meaningful associations I’ve come to have in my life.
Life was never quite easy for me. I remember knowing I was depressed at a very young age, and as the years went on, crippling anxiety followed. I went through many harsh things in life by the age of 14 that most will never endeavor throughout their entire existence. Despite the hardship, I refused to stay down. I chose to climb.
I am here today with you all sharing this story because, like so many of us do, I have always doubted myself. I’ve demeaned my accomplishments, and refused to believe I was ever good enough for just about anything in life. Even being here, I have to keep telling myself that I deserve to be here and that I am good enough for this. However, even in those moments when my mind is screaming at me and calling me a failure, I push on and fight to prove myself wrong.
A little over a year ago, I committed to the goal of studying geology in Boulder, Colorado, and here I am today with so many bright individuals, connected by our love of science. When I applied for this internship, I never dreamed I’d actually be accepted… but here I am. I’m actually here. Wow, that’s still so weird!
I want you all to know that you are capable of doing so much more than you’d ever realize. When life gets tough, keep moving, and keep climbing. You’ve got this!
The hike we’re on right now, the RECCS trail, it isn’t that easy. It’s like having asthma in high altitudes, being a low-lander all of your life. But you know what? The challenges we’re facing, and the things that we’re seeing along the way all lead to one spectacular view. I’m so excited to share this portion of my climb with all of you, and I know we’re all going to do amazing things even after this journey has ended.
-Becca
Thanks Becca for letting us know your journey. I certainly hope we can get you here at CU. You will make a great contribution. In the meantime, I’m so happy to see that you are getting out in the field to install seismometers and learning all the programming you need to learn for your research.