Vishal Yadav
“No is not a word. It’s a statement. Practice saying no to things….Nothing is more important than you and your mental health. And so, saying no really puts that boundary and puts that protection around you.”
Krieger School of Arts & Sciences
Chemistry, PhD 2022
Postdoctoral Researcher at Pennsylvania State University
Vishal‘s Podcast Episode
In this episode, we discuss what led Vishal to pursue his PhD in chemistry at Johns Hopkins, how his experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic inspired him to become involved with advocacy work on campus and to speak out as an international student and member of the LGBTQ+ community, and his advice for exploring different career paths and being true to yourself when deciding if a career in academia is right for you.
Learn More About Vishal‘s Story
It’s been a dream comes true experience calling myself a JHU graduate. I always used to see my seniors who came to United States before me and went to JHU posting these beautiful pictures in every season and I always wanted to be there. But as a lower-economy class Indian kid, that was too much to dream for, as some people said “I am trying to touch the moon.” Maybe as a cab driver’s son it was really shooting for the stars, but I didn’t even know determination and passion have so much power until I reached to this point of life. Life happens, but Dreams also happen.
I don’t just believe in professional growth, personal growth and that’s another thing my graduate school experience gave me. Not only I grew professionally but also Ph.D. gave me an opportunity to become stronger and more independent and taught me how to become a good mentor rather than being a leader. Science is not only about knowledge, but it’s a lot about sharing, teaching, mentoring and passing the knowledge. Science demands diversity, science demands collaboration, science demands harmony. One cannot succeed alone in this journey, it’s about being there for each other, lifting each other up and pushing the boundaries of knowledge.
