Now back to that [1-year gap]. It took me over a year to land my first full-time job out of academia. Many things happened, which I'm grateful for: my move to Mexico, the global pandemic, and my marriage. I got happily settled in Mexico City, where I'd conducted my dissertation research and met my husband, and where we actively serve at a local Christian church. Here, I've been able to continue some of the same work that I loved in grad school, while reviving other passions and talents that were on hold (as many things are in grad school). I returned to making music and meaningful community work. I founded and directed the International Coworking and Professional Development Lab for thesis writers, job seekers, and early-career professionals -- first at the offices of the IU Mexico Gateway at UNAM and then remotely. One of the dear-to-my-heart partnerships that came out of this 3-year venture is with El Pozo de Vida, a nonprofit organization combating human trafficking in Mexico. [End of gap]

Since I’ve been happily employed, I’m thankful for the work-life balance that allows me to volunteer my time and talents every week to the issues I care deeply about. I still do forensic linguistic consulting work that I started in grad school, and I still mentor academics and students in the areas I’ve grown in myself. And I'm most fulfilled to lead a meaningful Christian life that helps others around me flourish, too.

If you’ve been to the bootcamp of grad school, especially one as rigorous as IU, the world needs your skills, and you’re more ready than you know!