Announcing Dr. Rodriguez

Well, it finally happened. I finished school. For the first time since I was 5 years old, I am not registered as a student in any capacity. Graduation was fun. The doctoral candidates sat on the main stage, and we were "hooded" at the ceremony by our advisors. I'm so glad my parents and Ricky got to be there. Our friend Tim made it out for the occasion, and my supervisor from work also made it (her step-son graduated with his Bachelor's in Business earlier in the day). After starting the program with 10 students in my cohort, Aaron and I were the only two who graduated together. What happened to everyone else? A couple finished early (they had the MS in School Psych prior to starting their PhDs), a few quit altogether, a couple switched to MS and one is still finishing up her dissertation. I feel incredibly blessed to be at this place in my life and certainly wouldn't be here without so many of my friends and family who have supported me along the way. It is crazy to think that in a year's time, I was able to pass my test for fourth degree black belt AND graduate with my PhD.

Here are a few pics of the occasion. More pics of the parental visit to come soon! :-)

After surviving 5 years together, Aaron and I enjoy our moment in the sun.

Cindy, our advisor, joined us for a picture. Aaron and I were her first advisees to go all the way through the program at the UO. (She is the reason I ended up at UO as she was at WVU when I was applying to programs.)

After graduation, our good friend Candy was gracious enough to have us all over to her house where we each made home-made personal pan pizzas for dinner. Did I mention she was 9months pregnant? She still looked great, and now baby Natalee has already joined the world. I can't wait to meet her, too.

Wouldn't have survived graduate school without Candy's support (even though she did switch to MS, she stayed in the Eugene area to keep me sane).

I am so thankful and lucky to have such an incredible husband in my life. I DEFINITELY wouldn't be here and certainly would not have accomplished so many of my goals without him. He has been more supporting than I (or anyone) deserves, and I am so happy he is getting to live one of his dreams this summer, too. I love you, Ricky.

And for those of you who don't know...the following is the excerpt from the acknowledgement section of my dissertation.

This manuscript is dedicated to my dearest family and friends: for my parents who taught me I could accomplish my dreams and to never settle for less, for my husband, Ricky, who has stood by me and fortified my every adventure, for my sister, Kimberly, who sometimes had to stand in the shadows, and for my best friend, Laura, who is an inspiration and support for me in more ways than she will ever know.