That time at LLU again - Memorial Day weekend

Everywhere you look in the Basic Sciences buildings at Loma Linda there are Dissertation Defense Notices - every notice board; so many thatthey are covering each other. It's that time when senior students are most stressed, most missing b/c they are home writing, and most nervous b/c their fate is in the hands of five or so professors who will or will not sign their Form 'D.' However, for the not-so-senior students looking on, it's a different experience.

I remember the first dissertation defense I attended that impacted me. Before I get there, I'll talk about the first Oral Proposal I went to that moved me - The now Dr Theodore Garnett was the senior student when I entered the PDH lab. He presented this oral proposal about a year after I joined the lab and it was different for me. I knew him personally, I had hear him present his work over and over in lab meeting, I had seen the actual powerpoint before he presented it to the public. But... I learned that even with all the prep you do and with all the confidence you have in your work, presenting it to Scientists can be nerve-racking, to say the least. Even more importantly, answering the questions about YOUR work can be intimidating and nervousness can let you lose yourself. Oh! And how could I forget to mention the importance of knowing the names of the scientists whose work you cite - that was a new one for me being so new. Then at Ted's (Theodore is affectinately called Ted) dissertation defense I watched him lay his work down on us like never before. Thats when I learned that when I present my work I must keep in my frontal lobe that THIS WORK IS MINE! I OWN IT! AND NO ONE, N.O. O.N.E. CAN TELL ME MORE ABOUT IT THAN I CAN TELL THEM! That turned my perspective around and has been a powerful guiding factor in journey.

Today, I had the honour of seeing the senior student in our lab Sandy, oops Dr. Sandy Tungteakkhun :), defend her dissertation. Sandy has been an integral part of our lab and her PhD work is one of those few that you see going into clinical work very soon - thats what you call 'Im very close to the end of the tunnel and I can feel the light.' Anyways, she's a great presenter, hard worker, perfectionist, and very very very smart. As always, she made us proud today. Congrats Dr T. We are very very very proud of you and we admire you tenacity. YOU ROCK!

So this brings me back to where I started... what times like these mean to pre-doctoral students like me. These times give the adrenaline boost, the motivation, the light at the end of the tunnel that you never knew before existed; no sight and even more no touch. These are the times you breathe encouragement and cant evade its forces b/c its in the air you are surrounded by. It says 'you can do b/c they have done it and are doing it.' I dont know how many people this will mean something to, but for those of us who have traveled or are traveling that long road (whatever and wherever you journey has and is taking you) and can neither see or feel the light, be encouraged and be reminded others have done it, others are doing it, and YOU WILL DO IT!

Hang in there.

Peace & Blessings