To graduation and beyond!

Well folks, it happened -- I graduated with a doctoral degree in epidemiology, after five grueling years of hard work.  There were moments that I felt nothing during the major graduation milestones, like when I turned in a paper copy of my dissertation, or even when my doctoral degree was posted in my academic report.  But then there were other times where I felt overcome with emotion, like when I cleaned out my cubicle, my comforting desk space for the last 3 years.  Or when I got to see my family waving proudly at me while I was on stage with 200 other Emory PhD graduates.  Even then, even when I look at my now framed diploma, I don't feel like it's real.  But it is.  And that's pretty magical.

Hip, hip, hooray!

What a special moment!  Both sets of parents came to celebrate.

I made my husband stand next to me
in my sweaty robes. I hope they dry clean
those things!

It was hot and steamy as all hell but I wanted a picture
with my parents, gosh darn it.

Yay!  I'm being hooded!
(Photo credit: Devang Dave)

...Because I had to include at least one picture with food
(this was at Folk Art in Inman Park). PS - It was delicious.
We love Folk Art!

Me in front of the Emory entrance gate.

I had a moment a few weeks ago when I found out an old mentor of mine passed away.  Presumably he had been ill for quite some time, but I actually hadn't spoken with him in over a decade.  His passing reminded me of the power of mentoring and how our biggest heroes, those we choose to emulate, can shape who we are, who we become, and how we effect (hopefully positive) change in the world.  It truly humbled me.  It also empowered me in a way.  We can all choose to contribute positively to society and create opportunities for others to do so.  I sure hope I can make a meaningful difference in someone else's life, or make a powerful impact in the world.

So, onward.  What's next?  Well for me, I'll be spending the next two years at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a fellowship (the Epidemic Intelligence Service) designed to train public health professionals how to respond appropriately to public health emergencies.  Basically, I get to learn how to be a professional "disease detective!"

Also, Joe and I decided that we have been tired, cranky, and aching for a vacation for quite some time, so before I start my position in July, we're taking a month long trip around the world!  Okay, so we're not really traveling the entire world, but we do get to visit some really great cities.  We're leaving tomorrow, and starting off to a quick weekend trip to the DC area for a wedding, flying up to Toronto to see some of my extended family, then heading to Vienna, Prague, and various parts of Italy, Greece, and Turkey.  We're pumped!  We're utterly exhausted from wrapping up work things before we leave, but luckily, we get to leave all of that behind for an entire month!!  I've never been so excited to set up an out of office reply on my email accounts.

I'm hoping to document the highlights of our trip in this blog when we get breaks (and when I dump all of my camera photos onto the laptop).  So stay tuned, y'all!