The Advice I Didn’t Understand Until Years Later

In The Know with Tony Reeves · Aug 12, 2026 · 9m

There are moments in life that don’t seem particularly significant when they’re happening. Then you look back 10, 20, or 30 years later and realize:That conversation changed everything. During my junior year of college, I was struggling with some of my science courses and seriously considering leaving my biology major. I wasn’t failing to understand the material. I was struggling to produce the grades I expected from myself—and I started interpreting that struggle as evidence that maybe I didn’t belong. Then I had a conversation with my advisor, Dr. Fred Punzo. He didn’t promise me that…