They Called It Unprecedented

Six baby falcons. That's what the rescue center saved this year—an 'unprecedented influx,' they said. I read that headline during my third grant rejection this semester. Unprecedented. Like the word made it special instead of just... overwhelming. Those falcons had a 'incredibly high mortality rate during their juvenile phase.' I highlighted that sentence twice. Some got attacked during their first flights. Others just fell. But here's what got me: they fitted them with monitoring rings. To track them for life. I've been wearing my own ring for two years now—this PhD program that follows me everywhere, measures everything. My advisor calls failed experiments 'valuable data points.' The falcons got nine days of rehabilitation. I'm still counting. But six of them made it back to the wild. Six second chances. Maybe that's enough to keep going. 🧪 #Science #LabBurnout #ImposterInTheRoom