On the eve of my 30th birthday, I wanted to take some time to reflect back on my 20s.

A LOT has happened over the past decade – I became two degrees hotter with both my undergraduate and master’s degrees, I moved between three states (CT, NY, and DC), grew as a professional through various jobs and volunteer experiences, survived a pandemic, traveled to five new countries and two new continents along with multiple new states, dealt with a fair amount of family and personal difficulties, and XXX

Honestly, I have always felt like I was meant to be in my 30s. While my 20s have been filled with lots of growth, adventure, and changes, I am even more excited for the upcoming decade. Not only is 31 my lucky number, but I always knew my 30s would (hopefully) be a time of more stability, flourishing, and excelling, where I could really hone my skills and have more freedom to engage in the work and activities I most enjoy. Every woman I talk to in her 30s and 40s agrees that women truly do age like fine wine, just getting better with the years.

What am I most looking forward to (hopefully) in my 30s? Here’s my tentative list below:

• Stability – I am very excited to settle down at a new job post-graduate school. I hope it’ll be in a field where I can show off the skills I’ve learned both professionally and academically, as well as for a company or cause I can get behind.
• Flexibility – I’m very excited to enter a new stage of more freedom to travel, decorate my living space how I’d like,