Melissa Cristina Márquez

Founder of The Fins United Initiative

Founder of The Fins United Initiative

Things I’ve learned from marriage that have made me a better scientist

Marriage is a constant learning experience. And so is life! One thing I love about my career is that I am constantly learning something new and look forward to that every day I wake up. As scientists, we are driven by curiosity and passion — and that’s what drives my marriage, too.

Why I am questioning pursuing a PhD

Earlier, if you’d asked me what I was doing with my life, I would proudly say I was hoping to get my PhD in Marine Biology. But hundreds of thousands of students embark on a PhD every year. And I was truly wondering if I ever will be one of them. When you are at the bottom of a rabbit hole, you have a lot of time to think. And so I started wondering if I wanted a PhD for the right reasons or because it was just “expected” of me. 

Learning to live a little, as I wait for my PhD dream

Waking up at 5:30am every day and working sometimes 10 hours at a job I wasn't even passionate about was not working out for me and I wanted a change. My goal at that point? It changed from "publish a paper and get the PhD" to also include "build a life where I don’t dread any day of the week." What a dream!