Paging Dr. Amanda

(Amanda's mom sent her some flowers yesterday for good luck. Good news, they worked!)

...Amanda's dissertation defense. Well, I guess really it started back at her first day of kindergarten...I'll do her a favor and not say how many years ago that was! Since that first day of kindergarten one major educational milestone has led to beginning a new educational goal. Kindergarten graduation led to elementary school, which led to junior high, which led to high school graduation, which led to college and college graduation, which led to a master's program, which led to a doctoral program, which all led to today and the ultimate stopping point--being awarded a Ph.D.

The dissertation was finished three weeks ago, but the final hurdle was to defend the study to the dissertation committee. Each committee member and several others in the audience (me included) had already read the entire dissertation, so it was Amanda's responsibility today to give a 30-minute presentation about why her topic was important, how she conducted the study, what she found from the study, what it tells mental health professionals, and what else needs to be studied in the future from this study. I was able to sit in the room and listen to her presentation, and she did an amazing job. It was really, really great. Everyone in the room was in awe. When she finished her presentation it was the committee's turn to ask her questions and make comments. I knew when the first comment from her committee was, "Amanda, I just want you to know what a beautiful job you did with your dissertation...I actually read your dissertation through twice in only two sittings, because it was a page turner, which sounds strange to say about a dissertation," it was all going to be okay.

I wish I could detail what each committee member said, and how many meaningful comments were given to her about how beautifully she told the stories of these couples that had experienced a pregnancy loss, but I cannot recount them all. However, I can say how truly proud I am of her. She finished before Kate was able to say, "Stop working and play with me Mommy," which was her goal all along. After questioning her for a while and then sending her and the family and friends section out of the room so they could confer, the committee called her back in and congratulated her as Dr. Amanda Harrington. WOOHOO!!!!

It was a great culminating moment. I took the day off, and since Kate was in school today, we celebrated by going out to lunch and going to a movie in the middle of the day. So that's what doctors do all day? I always wondered.

Amanda and I before the defense this morning.


Dr. Amanda and her dissertation committee after the defense was over. Left to right: Jason Whiting (he was Amanda's professor and advisor at the University of Kentucky and has since moved to Texas Tech), Tom Kimball (Amanda's advisor and dissertation chairperson), Nicole Morelock, and Dr. O (she is the medical doctor Amanda has had the opportunity to work with at the hospital for the last 4 years).