The WashU MSTP staff is the glue that holds the MSTP community together. Year-round they work hard to organize events that help connect us with our peers. Individual MSTP classes meet each week to go to their lunchtime journal club, and on Thursdays MSTPs of all years descend upon seminar for dinner, science, and advice. Throughout the year, we come together for a summer BBQ, a winter dinner, and a weekend retreat. While 8 years can feel like a long time, knowing people at all stages of the process makes it seem possible. Moreover, education doesn’t happen only in a classroom. I have learned a ton from conversations with my peers, both about science and life, and I am hopeful that those connections will last far beyond my time at WashU. I am really thankful for the MSTP office because they look out for us so we can focus on patients, experiments, tests, or whatever demands our attention and still have opportunities to build relationships with the wonderful array of people that make up the MSTP program.