For McKay Cavanaugh, her school bag needs to not only store her school necessities but provide a place to store the odds and ends that give her a break from her research while she is at her home away from home.
“I spend about 50-60 hours hours per week on campus, so I need to be able to carry a ton of stuff in this thing,” she says. “I don’t have the time to run home.”
McKay is in her second year of Ph.D. studies. She is currently researching tissue engineering applications to improve nerve regeneration. She is hoping to pursue a career in academia when she’s completed her doctoral studies, which she estimates will be in 2021.
The Bag:
- Laptop to do research, write papers, plan her next trip, and watch The Office.
- Receipt from her last trip to La Lomas Taqueria in Akron, her favorite place for tacos when she has had a long day in the lab.
- Euros from her last adventure which serve as a reminder of new adventures to come.
- Her flip phone – no time to get caught up in the drama of social media!
- NEOMED ID for her collaborative research project that aims to find a way to reverse the signs of glaucoma.
- Samples that will be used for cytotoxicity testing.
- A picture of Peru, hopefully her next travel destination.
- Dark chocolates to keep things sweet.
- Her great grandma’s ring to remind her of the amazing support of her family.
- Movie ticket from a night out with friends.
- Tea to keep her warm on these cold Ohio winter days.
- Headphones from her boyfriend so she can listen to salsa music when she needs to check out for a few minutes
- TA notebook that includes grades, assignments, and reminders for this week’s coming lab (McKay has 15 students this semester)
McKay lives by a quote from her hero, Mr. Rogers. “There are three ways to ultimate success: The first way is to be kind. The second way is to be kind. The third way is to be kind.”
Congrats on your success, McKay! We wish you the best.