I have officially completed my third semester and first year of my doctoral program.
Here are reminders of what I thought after I completed my first and second semesters. Exciting things I experienced this semester as a result of being a doctoral student in this program:
- My very first and second first-author manuscript publications.
- Establishment of weekly video cohort meetings for support and guidance
- A PROMOTION!!!!!!!!
My top 3 takeaways of the spring semester:
- Relationships and mentorship are valuable, necessary, and should positively challenge and change me.
- Self-care should be more than rhetoric. I must lead by example if I expect my students to practice self-care.
- Leadership presence is an evolutionary skill set that should be able to be adapted to the audience I am presenting to.
I honestly cannot believe that I made it through the first year. This semester there were many days that I doubted myself and my ability to manage all of the responsibilities that I had. Through meditation, prayer, and an amazing support system, I persevered through the semester.
The best part of completing this semester and first year was being able to indulge in a trip to Disney World – a first for both my daughter and myself.
While I didn’t intend for this post to become about my daughter, I enjoy our daily check-ins and homework time together. She’s at the age where she’s beginning to ask about what I’m writing and why I am in school. The excitement and unsolicited words of affirmation from my baby girl let’s me know that I’m doing something right. Here’s to continued success in year 2.