Today is my one-year anniversary at Curtin ✨ 

I am thankful for many things, and my gratitude is only heightened during this time where so many of my cohort mates and friends are still struggling with job precarity.

I am grateful that I have been able to take mental health days and make up for the work later,

that I have paid annual leave for the first time in my career,

that I have easy access to colleagues and mentors who are genuinely good humans above and beyond being good coworkers,

that I have a permanent office space to work from and call my own,

that I have the privilege of administrative and professional staff to assist me with one million bureaucratic things,

that I am no longer job hunting for the next gig the moment I start a contract,

that I am the owner of just x01 email address and x01 payslip,

that I get to work where I live and see my person everyday after several years of long distance dating and marriage.

I am thankful for my mentors at Curtin and elsewhere, especially Tama, Katie, Mike, Michael, Tim, Matt, Kath, Jean, Jill, Emilia, Adi, KK, and Natalie; for my very treasured academic pals Paul, G, Katie, CC, Kat, Nat, Meg, Brady, Son, Amelia, Kristian, César, Sam, Sky, Gwyneth, Amy, Eleanor; and all the big beans and smol beans in my life now.

Looking forward to growing up and growing old with all of you in academia.

On to year two 🌱🌿🌳