When the Story Shifts Mid-Chapter
- Eva Joly
- Jul 5, 2025
- 2 min read
Updated: Jul 12, 2025
Reframing Growth From Unexpected Spaces
This summer brought lessons I didn’t expect, didn’t ask for, and am still learning to fully appreciate. Once again, my best-laid plans shifted, challenging my adaptability and deepening my ability to trust the process.
Earlier this year, I was honored to be selected for the Gensemer HIP Internship with the Norris Lab at the Medical University of South Carolina, a rare and meaningful opportunity supporting patient-scientists in conducting research grounded in lived experience. The program, and this lab in particular, have long inspired my academic and professional path.
As the summer unfolded, unexpected health challenges required me to reassess my role. In collaboration with the program team, we made adjustments that reflected my evolving needs and priorities. While that pivot was emotionally difficult, I remain deeply grateful to the Norris Lab and HIP team for their compassion, transparency, and continued encouragement.
Though I’m not participating in the program exactly as originally envisioned, I remain connected to both the work and the community. While I’ve temporarily adapted my focus, the questions that brought me to HIP and the drive that fuels my research remain unchanged. The mission continues, even if the path has shifted.
I’ve learned before that some of the most transformative opportunities emerge from unexpected detours. My mast cell research, now one of my most meaningful scientific pursuits, began after a different internship was canceled last summer. That disappointment led me to new models, deeper curiosity, and a mentor who encouraged me to pursue independent research. It also laid the foundation for my reconnection to the Norris Lab.
What once felt like a setback became a turning point. I hold hope that this moment may unfold similarly: as an opportunity for reflection, renewal, and eventually, reconnection.
This chapter may look different than I imagined, but it’s still rich with meaning. Whether through this opportunity or those to come, I remain committed to patient-centered science and to bringing care, curiosity, and lived experience into every space I contribute to.
Even when the path shifts mid-chapter, I do my best to keep the story meaningful and, yes, a little interesting.
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