Writing with Juliet Iwelunmor

Our NIAID-funded STARS summer program began yesterday, with many new faces wondering what it’s like to become STARS. We shared our stories, we gave them a bit of context and opened up the door on what it means to be STARS. Today, we sat through a masterclass on the landscape of HIV research in the US, sat through for ourselves, to learn again what it means to be creative, to feel it, to see it, to shape it even, that on this second day, the only words left are thank you.

I strongly believe that the richness of our full potential, the divines of our power can only begin when we tap into all that makes us creative, all that enables us to surprise, satisfy and maybe even stimulate the world with that thing we create in union with others. For the next six weeks, 12 lucky stars get to live out their full potential, get to do so in ways that are brilliant and compelling. They might be on their way to becoming stars but through them, we know our souls are nourished in dazzling ways. Keep these STARS