(2/2) “During my treatment, there were many moments where I wanted to stop going to my appointments-- I didn’t want to think or feel anything more. My oncology psychiatrist and my family doctor supported my mental health through these excruciatingly painful times; they reminded me that my Ph.D program at UCSD would be waiting for me at the end of the cancer treatment. After months of crying, talking, writing, and more crying, I decided I wouldn’t let cancer and a horrible break-up stop me from chasing my dreams of a Ph.D. program at UCSD. In September 2019, I came to UCSD and started my Ph.D. program. Despite being from a neighboring country, I experienced culture shock and needed time to reorient myself to a new environment for the first months here. When things started to feel a little more “settled”, the global pandemic happened, and everything turned upside down and inside out. As an international student, there was additional uncertainty of whether I’d be asked to leave with shor...