"What am I doing with my life?" Is the question I asked myself one sunny morning in San Francisco California. Waking up to the familiar noises of life in the Mission, I got up and got ready for another day of "living the dream." Another day of responsibility, accountability, deadlines and being chained to a grim future of seventy hour weeks, excel spread sheets, algorithms and multi-million dollar companies breathing down my neck for reports on their latest sports advertising campaigns. If this was the definition of living the great American dream, then I didn't want anything to do with it...It was only after about two years that I realized that this steady life was not for me, and that I needed to embrace my inner curiosity and go back to what I was doing before and my passion: helping people. 

I have been living in Manchester England since August 2015 pursuing my Masters of Science in International Development as a Rotary International Scholar from District 5100. This summer I will be writing my dissertation (pending approval) on US patent laws and international treaties that allow for the protection of medication,  ultimately making it difficult for people in developing countries to access affordable and life saving medication. 

Currently I am applying for opportunities as a global health researcher in Washington, DC. I am also looking into PhD programs to furher explore my interest in infectious disease poverty traps and the solutions to them. 

I have found peace and happiness knowing I made the decision a few years ago to drop everything, and start a new adventure. Looking back at that day when I woke up and asked myself  "what am I doing with my life?", I now know the answer. I realized that not only had I married adventure for life, and possibly living out of a backpack for long periods of time, but I had also married myself, and there is nothing more empowering than that.

Check out more of what I have done by visiting my LinkdIn page: 

https://uk.linkedin.com/in/kasia-chaberski-6b64b653