The following is part
two of a multi-part series to run over the next few months. Melissa Baffa,
Director of Outdoor Experience and STEM for GSCCC, will be joining the Corps of
Exploration this year on the adventure of a lifetime. This blog series will
chronicle her dive into the Unknown.
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It was early January. I had submitted
my application to the Ocean Exploration Trust to join the Corps of Exploration
for the 2015 Science Communication Fellowship program back in mid-December. The
email should come any day whether I had cleared the first round of selection,
and whether I would be participating in an online face-to-face interview within
the next couple of weeks.
Only my
family and a few close friends and work mates knew that I had applied for this
very exciting, and somewhat intimidating, opportunity. I was on pins and
needles. But in way, I was thankful that the opportunity had crossed my desk
only days before the deadline – that meant I’d had to remain in this state of
anxious anticipation for a much shorter time. One
of the ways I passed the time was by poking around on the Nautilus Live website, enjoying the photos and videos posted from previous seasons.
Still, the
anticipation was killing me!
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| In a photograph from the 2014 season, a "dumbo octopus," so named for the earlike projections on either side of its mantle, gets up close and personal during a deep-sea dive. |
And then I
got the email – I had made it through the first round! The first call was to my
husband, the second to my mother, and the third to my supervisor. All were
thrilled for me, and also a little anxious themselves as the reality started to
settle in. How long would I be gone? What would the implications be for our
family? How soon would we know for sure, so we could start making plans for
work?
Insomnia hit
me with full force. In the days leading up to the interview, I was so excited,
I couldn’t get my brain to turn off at night. I didn’t know what to expect. I
ran through possible questions in my head.
And then it
was The Day. Because a continent separated us, it was an online interview. The OET panel members were all smiles. Once
the initial adrenaline rush wore off and I settled into the interview, it all just
seemed to flow. We wrapped it up, and I knew in my heart it couldn’t have gone
much better.
They told me
it was going to be a couple of weeks before they announced their final choices.
One day passed, then two. I couldn’t sleep. I would toss and turn at night for
hours before I finally drifted off. Six days in, my eyes felt grainy and my
head a little fuzzy. I started soliciting advice from friends and family – how could
I push through this insomnia?
Twelve days
after the interview, shortly after lunch, the email came in. I was all alone in my office; it was very quiet, but
all I could hear was my heart pounding in my ears. The subject line only read, “2015
Science Communication Fellowship” – I would have no idea whether I was accepted
until I opened it. I willed my suddenly-paralyzed fingers to push the mouse
button. Funny how something I didn’t even know I wanted so badly only five
weeks ago now had this incredible power over me.
I held my breath. One heartbeat,
two. And then I clicked. “Congratulations!” the email began, “It is my distinct pleasure to inform
you that the SCF Selection Committee would like to offer you a spot in this
year's Science Communication Fellowship.”
Now It’s Your Turn: When was the last
time you had something really big you were looking forward to? How did it
affect you? Please share by leaving a comment below!
Skip to the next blog post by Melissa: Insomnia
