Health Science Reviews

by Mené Muller

Today my supervisor bought me a coffee. A seemingly insignificant occurrence since the short café latte at Food & Connect is a student staple – or at least for this student. But this specific treat meant more than just a few extra hours of productivity, it signalled the achievement of a long-awaited goal: asking a question.

At the beginning of the year, the Department of Human Genetics’ weekly Tuesday seminars felt like attending advanced mathematics as a seven-year-old. I barely understood what was being presented and engaging in the sessions felt worlds away. How does a student contribute to conversations between doctors and professors with years of research experience? My supervisor clearly didn’t consider this little predicament when she promised a cup of coffee to any postgraduate student from our group that participates in the seminars.

Lucky for me, the amount of knowledge you consume in just a few months of honours is incredible. Honours is one of those years where you have no idea what’s happening next week, let alone what’s happening in a month or next semester. It all adds up to the feeling of being an imposter among visionaries. I love this quote from the world-renowned poet Maya Angelou, “I have written eleven books, but each time I think, ‘Uh oh, they’re going to find me out now’”. Every group discussion in journal club and every round-table debate in lectures slowly started to expand my
knowledge and understanding.

As time passed, I started to find my feet in the division and eventually felt confident enough to ask a question in one of the seminars. To an outsider, this must seem like such a trivial thing to celebrate. But I understood the meaning of it. My supervisor understood the meaning of it. And we celebrated together over a decent cup of rich, aromatic brew. Who knew coffee could be so significant?