My committee consisted of my dream team. Sunghyun Kang, was my major professor and without her weekly meetings to keep me on track and her great and patient advice, I would have been behind and way more stressed out. She was a guiding light throughout the whole process. While this is what a major professor is suppose to do, I feel as though she went beyond the call of duty at times to help me. I am extremely grateful she agreed to be on my committee.
Bernard Canniffe, was the next committee member on my dream team. He is the one that helped me fully realize my passion and help me become a more confident individual. While I know that the thesis subject was not entirely what he and I believed it would be, he never once gave up or asked to leave. He instead continued to advise on thesis topics, applying for jobs, interviews, and making it through rough teaching experiences. While everyone who is on my committee is a hero, Bernard is one of my major heroes. I look up to him professionally and as a caring individual. He inspires positive change where ever he goes and it is magical to watch.
Next is Paula Curran, who I have always looked up to since the first day I had class with her. She is so amazing. I believe there is a post on this blog that is just about her. She is not only an amazing typographer, she is also the one that showed me the power of paying attention to the details. Her lesson in the details caused me to really analyze my thesis topic, research, writing, and presenting. Her inclusion on my committee was extremely important and I am glad she was able to be a part of my research.
Finally and certainly not least, is my outside area committee member Connie Hargrave. She made such a huge impact on my thesis by recommending the CI 503 course I took with Anna Paula Correia. She mentioned at the end of my defense, she was happy to have been asked on my committee and she remembered me walking into her office to ask her to be on the committee. She said looking back she laughs at the nervous and shy girl that was scared to ask her to be on her committee, and looking at me know how much I have changed. She said I had become more confident. That comment meant a great deal to me.
The defense went great! I spent so much money on food....but that is beyond the point. haha I gave my presentation and my committee came up with great questions at the end of the presentation. While I admit some of the questions threw me off guard, I do believe I answered them fairly well. After all the questions, the committee asks the graduate and extra visitors to leave the room while they make a decision on whether the graduate student passes. I waited out in the hallway with my mom, brother and friend Julian. I have seen the decision process take a long time, but luckily mine only took about 15 minutes, if that. As I walked back into the room, my major professor whispers congratulations! Yay! I passed! How very wonderful!
I have some changes to make with my thesis, which I hope to get started on tonight. Before I end this blog, I will say one last thank you to all involved in the defense and all the people along the way. My dream team committee, my family, friends, classmates, and anyone who answered my questions at ISU. Thank you to everyone for making this graduation possible.