The Start of the Journey

I started this morning off with my first biology lab of the semester at an early time of 8 a.m. Maybe for others this isn't a problem, but to a college student this situation is worse than walking in the bitter cold (which happens to be the climate here). Making my way through the snow and wind that tugged at my jacket, I tried to forget about the blizzard warning that was in affect for two more days. The quick 7 minute walk from my dorm to the science building, Trafton, turned into a ice rink with an added challenge of whirling snow. I burrowed deeper into my puffy jacket and picked up pace.
I am personally a pretty outgoing person, even with people I don't know, but as I made my way into the classroom I could tell I wasn't the only student who regretted thinking they could handle an 8 a.m. class. I made my way to the front of the class and sat down to an empty desk. The graduate student who taught the class had no obstacle of teaching at the crack of dawn and powered through all of the material that needed to be done. Usually in class I try my best to pay attention and understand the material that is explained, but this morning my thoughts drifted to the future. I dreamed of a time where I had my own lab and with that research I was going to change the world (I'm very optimistic in the morning).
After those thoughts I thought I needed to track my thoughts and goals as a scientist, even though I'm only a lowly undergraduate. I could see myself in a position that has me being a doctor in Environmental Science and working on my own research. This goal is far, far away. This goal is going to take a journey, some could even say an adventure, to get to my goal. Tracking my journey and sharing my passion might help me in the future to motivate me in a low spot that could happen tomorrow, next week, next year, in my graduate work, or anytime in the future. I don't want to give up on this, ever.
During lab we went to a lecture in the library. The librarian, who was explaining proper research data sites, told us we were only baby scientist. We still had a lot to grow but we have the opportunity to succeed. My tired, optimistic self promised to write a blog to track my growth as a scientist. So here we are. Let the journey begin.