Come with me through the final 48 hours before my major field exam (aka comps/MFE) at UofT—aka: the great crash out of 2025. In this vlog I’m doing that classic grad-student thing where I’m trying to be “disciplined” and “locked in,” but life is still… life. I’m studying under pressure while also keeping commitments I already said yes to, like going to pilates and prepping a speculative design workshop that I’m literally delivering at the University of Guelph’s Teaching & Learning Innovations Conference 2025. And yeah—between the studying and the professional obligations, I spiral. I cry. I crash. I kept those raw clips in because I genuinely want this to feel honest: the imposter syndrome, the burnout, the heart-racing anxiety, and the very human reality of being an academic who’s not okay sometimes. My biggest takeaway (and what I hope you take too) is that you don’t need to be stoic to be strong. If you’re in your own intense season—comps, exams, deadlines, anything—this is me rooting for you while also showing you what it looks like when I’m trying to balance everything imperfectly but authentically.