How did I get a green card after being on a visa for 15 years? When you’re on a visa, it’s more than just the thrill of being in a foreign country… Your “alien-ness” is always in the back of your mind, from small regulations of what you can and cannot do, all the way to feeling constantly chased to make sure you have something else lined up!! In this episode, I recount every single visa type I’ve had over the 15 years I’ve been in the US, from F1, OPT, J1, H1B, to finally… a green card. More miracles? Yes. More struggles? Absolutely yes.

So… how come no one teaches this in school?! If you think being a scientist is just dealing with experiments and hypotheses, think again. In this episode, I share the four very real aspects about being a scientist that only *we* would know. This is my take on the cross-section of the industry, so you can be better prepared.

Was it fate? When I entered UT Austin as an 18 year old, the financial burden I was facing was astronomical. The tuition for international students was around $18,000 per semester! But in a series of miraculous events, I saw doors after doors open, and coincidences after coincidences align. I truly believe that God paid for my education and that He put me through school. Listen to a part of my financial journey & testimony as a young student here, and discover why I still hang on to the promise that “I will lend to many nations but will not borrow” (Deuteronomy 28:12).

DO YOU WANT TO GO TO GRAD SCHOOL? NO?! Then I think that’s great – truly! In this episode, I discuss who should actually go to grad school, and try to convince you to not go if you don’t have to. BUT! If you do want to go, I discuss the best strategy to make sure we can get you to the grad school of your dreams, starting from building your undergraduate portfolio, reaching out to the professors before you apply, crafting the best personal statement for your graduate school application, and finally, nailing the reference letters.

We've broken the glass ceiling, but what about the glass cliff? We’ve recruited women to be in STEM, in CEO positions, and in the top of the corporate grind… but have we figured it all out? In this episode, I get personal about my experiences of being an Asian woman in STEM, tell you the realities of the “glass cliff (?? dead end?)”, and how most definitely we do *NOT* have it figured out.

If you are EVER going to move in your life, you do not want to miss this episode. This episode is all about how to not get scammed by moving companies. On average, the BBB receives around 13,000 complaints about moving companies each year. Here, I break down how a moving scam works, why these “moving” companies are actually NOT moving companies, how I aggressively went after their information, and how I got my money back.

Have you ever been the resident Korean in a small retirement town of 2700 people in Delaware? Has God ever told you to go do that?! Well, I can’t tell you too much about the Korean part, cuz I’ve only been Korean all my life, but I can tell you about the other “small retirement town” part, cuz... I’ve seen other towns, man. In this episode, I talk about how a sign from God literally told me to go to Delaware for grad school, and the *small* chaos that ensued from it. The episode has been diplomatically presented as much as I could despite my unfinished processing of having spent my twenties in Delaware.

You know those inspirational stories where the person is not that great in the beginning and then later becomes something totally awesome?! That’s not entirely me but I feel like this story is close enough. In this episode, I get personal and tell you about my childhood, bad grades, and how I finally landed as a NASA scientist in my 30s. Clearly I still haven’t decided if I’m supposed to censor my workplace name or not, but this podcast is produced in a personal capacity if that isn’t clear. (*Federal programs could never*) Also stick around for the segment where I combat common myths about where I work… although I can’t talk about aliens (above my paygrade).

When a N@SA scientist speaks, it's usually about science... but not here. Join Dr. Kyra Adams as she navigates the struggles of academia, life as a foreigner on US soil, and the complexities of personal growth in your 30s. Premieres January 31st 2024, with new episodes every Wednesday evening.