I’m honored to win the Early-Career Mentor Award from the Society for Music Perception and Cognition (SMPC). This has been a difficult year. I was in a car accident that resulted in physical, visual, and cognitive impairments. As someone who has long found identity through my intellect and research, the reduction in cognitive function has been devastating.
To me, being a good mentor means empowering students by listening to their goals, meeting them where they are, and helping them navigate the (often circuitous) path to find what makes them healthy and happy. Mentorship requires patience, compassion, encouragement, and humility.
Although I still have a long road to return to my baseline health and cognitive function, my values remain the same. Similarly, the awe of my mentees in data science, psychology, and music cognition has never wavered. Their future is bright. So is mine.
Below, see the text of the announcement at the award ceremony.
