When Did You Learn To Trust Yourself And Your Decisions In Graduate School? Pt II

Name: Kelly Knight

Ph.D. Candidate in Science Education Research at George Mason University

IG: @kellythescientist

I learned to trust myself and my decisions when I put in the work to confront my Imposter Syndrome. This is a daily process for me. I still have moments when I’m nervous to speak up in class or when I obsess over a decision I have to make. I think that’s natural so I try not to be too hard on myself about it. But when I realize I am having one of those moments, I remind myself that there is a limit to what I can control; that I belong in this space and that I have put in the work and the research needed to be successful. I also had to get comfortable with failing and with the thought of possibly not always saying the right thing or making the right decision. This is natural as well. What’s most important in those moments is that I learn from it and use it to not only make myself better but to teach others so that they don’t make the same mistakes.