A Time for Celebrations and Good-Byes (Updated)

The end of July and beginning of August has been a time to celebrate with friends and bid them a fond farewell. Several of my colleagues in the Ph.D program are moving on to new jobs and lives. It's been sad to see them go, but we're happy for them and their successes. My time is coming!

My friend Aya was up first, defending her dissertation July 15. She is from Indonesia and actually flew back home last week to visit her family before starting as an assistant professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.



One of Aya's committee members is teaching a summer course in Paris, so he joined us via Skype.



Aya and her friends made some delicious Indonesian food for the defense.



A few days after Aya's defense, we celebrated her birthday at Mimi's Cafe. Very yummy!



We had a celebration at Calhoun's on the River before everyone left town. It stormed that afternoon, so we couldn't sit outside, but we had a great gathering of graduate students and faculty.





Chris and Anne tried trying telling those leaving us to STOP and not leave!



Poor Arsev looks like no one wants to sit next to him, but because of the rain, the roof was leaking, and there was water on the booth seat next to him.



Here are some folks who are leaving us. From the left: Greg and Angela who are engaged. My colleague Angela will be an assistant professor at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois this fall. They will marry next May in North Carolina. Aya is in front, and then my colleague and friend Jessica and my husband David are on the right.



Antoneta (left) is headed to Quinnipiac University in Connecticut, and Bernardo (right) is going to Bridgewater College in Virginia. Arsev is just trying to fit in the middle!



Charlie, the guy in the orange shirt in the middle, is headed to Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. It's the end of an era!


Here's a shot of my friend Katerina's husband and son. Aljosha really grew up over the summer. He went to Macedonia with his father and sister in late April and returned in late July. While he was there, they gave him a haircut, and now he looks like a little man.



Bernardo defended his dissertation this week and moves soon to Bridgewater, Virginia, where he will be an assistant professor at Bridgewater College. I didn't get a photo of him at his defense, but this is his office space BEFORE he's cleaned it out and packed. The after shots are now posted below!







Congrats to all the graduates. We will miss you!