On our final day of the SPS internship, I was caught in a surreal trance. I realized this summer was special not just because of the location, or the people, but because of the notion that even when I come back to DC and meet up with members of this new family I have made, I will never be in the exact same spot or have this exact experience again in my life. There is something powerful and moving about this. After vicariously experiencing 14 different intern placements and meeting fellow physicists from all walks of life, I will carry this summer as a reminder—A reminder to put myself out there and be in the moment. A reminder to be open to sporadic opportunities. A reminder to continue with my passion for sharing things I love, like physics, because life is too short for anything else. I will use this summer as a reminder that, as Smash Mouth puts it, “Only shooting stars break the mold.”

To sign it off,

The greatest gift SPS gave me

was putting me in the nation’s capital

with other budding physicists,

and presenting me the opportunity

to connect with them

and grow alongside them.

Apply to be a 2020 SPS intern by January 15 at spsnational.org/programs/internships. Applications open November 1.