A new day of celebrations

We celebrate around here like any other family; birthdays, anniversaries, teeth that fall out....the usual.  But this year we added a new celebration on November 18th. That is the day Brett received notification that everything was approved on his dissertation and became officially finished with school! 

Brett and I spent our first year at the University of Utah together and when we married he was half way through his Bachelors.  When Marin was 18 months old he graduated with a BS in Exercise and Sport Science. After Gabe was born Brett decided he really wanted to go back to school so he investigated all the options and selected a program that would get him through a combined Masters/Ph.D. It has been a long, long road and Brett has been such an amazing example to these kids of determination and sacrifice. He has worked full-time through all his education and never took summers off. He is tenacious and a total brain (with a 3.95 for his Masters of Science in Public Health and a 4.0 for his Ph.D in Public Health). What you never get told is how long the dreaded dissertation process actually takes.

I had moments in this process when I really despised his committee and reviewers. It took a lot of time and some real perspective to see that this is what separates the Masters students from the Doctoral students. There is a dramatic difference between the two! A Doctoral degree is an education in intense refinement by fire and brimstone. I now truly appreciate the process and hope never to have to go through it again...

November 18th will be celebrated forever around this house. Congratulations, Dr. McIff. Your degree looks good on you!

P.S. If you want an education for yourself, check out the differences in how a Ph.D. looks when he/she graduates.... http://doctoralgraduationgowns.org/