Journey to 10,000 followers

Hooray! I have reached 10,000 followers on LinkedIn ! This growth expands my capacity to help people. In this article, I discuss my origins in comedy, as well as some of my inspirations for how and why I create content here.

While at the University of Michigan , my favorite parts of the annual Neuroscience Graduate Program Retreat was the Joke Awards ceremony, delivered by Ravi Chopra .

When Ravi graduated from the program, there came the question: who would come forth?

Who would be next?

A friend suggested that I would be the next joke awards comedian.

After all, I have a tendency to come up with wordplays.

Words are toys of expression.

My mind is constantly drawing connections between words, similar-sounding words, and images.

This has been my strategy for paying attention, staying awake in classes, and producing mnemonic devices as far back as I can remember.

I came up with ways to celebrate people in the program!

To help the students and staff to get to know each other beyond a surface level.?

To highlight underrated aspects of people’s characters and work.?

To open minds with laughter.

I created these half-hour Joke Awards ceremonies each year for three years.

I realized I could do something similar to Joke Awards on LinkedIn: take the approach of getting to know people and positively highlighting their stories, with wordplays sprinkled in for garnish.

The digital stage of LinkedIn is a bit different than the physical retreat center stages.

Yet the sentiment of connection is similar.

Regardless of whether people are in academia, industry, or both,

and regardless of where in the world they are based,

it is great to have a platform to encourage people.

So long as their efforts are sincere, dedicated, and open to learning.

Professionally, I am several things at the same time.

Happy to say these are all in neuro at this point!

I have recently changed my tagline to “All in for neuro”!

I conceptualize the nervous system not just as a means of movement, as the brain in isolation, or as a computer that needs sleep, but as a navigator of life.

Further, I am living on the edges of both humility and inspiration.

Still much to learn.

Always on an adventure.

Having a great community, especially in the space of neuro innovations, keeps me going.?

Thank you so much for being people to learn from, to share information and adventures with!

It is a very charming existence to attend events and be approached by people who know me from LinkedIn. It is also fun to lightly introduce people to each other by posting about them.

If you find my works in content production here compelling, delightful, or insightful, please help your colleagues know these works exist!

React, comment on posts, repost— this also encourages me to be a better resource to the audience here!

(Sh(are)na) -> Sharena

Thank you for helping to share the arenas!

Footnotes:

I happen to live in Sunnyvale CA, where LinkedIn is based. Thus, in moving from Ann Arbor, I went from the block M to the block of "in".

?? When the clouds come into Sunnyvale, there is a sunny veil.

?? When the clouds part in Sunnyvale, it is sunny-unveil!