Gratitude Month | Day 5 | 2026

Gratitude Month, Day 5 🍂

So grateful for this small but mighty cohort! Bell Mensah Ampem, Keith Rydell, and Alaa Bader have been beside me since day one of our PhD program through the University of Dayton. We’ve held each other up through tough classes, offered encouragement, and wondered together how we’d ever get that mountain of work done.

Last week, Keith successfully defended his dissertation! He had a head start with some core classes already completed, and our crew had to get together to celebrate. We’re so proud of him.

And I just received some news of my own: I passed my comprehensive exams! After a grueling 36-hour exam weekend covering our cumulative coursework, that was an email I was VERY happy to open. 😊

I’m also grateful for my committee chair, Dr. Charles Russo, as well as Dr. Mary Ziskin for their guidance and encouragement.

One more milestone down. Classes wrap up in a few weeks, and then it’s on to my research and dissertation.

I’m grateful for the opportunity to keep learning and for every step of this four-year journey so far. Onward!

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