double dawg

GRADUATION BRUNCH
yep, i legitimately walked through the Arch at the university of georgia a second time. in early april i took comps for a master of public admnistration degree. later in may, i put on the cap and gown and walked into the coliseum from the tunnels just like a gladiator and was celebrated on stage with my name announced, my family watching, and fun new shoes just for the occasion. the day was a blast and we followed up the ceremony with brunch al fresco in my pecan orchard back yard eating ham/cheese biscuits from harry's pig shop, red mule yellow grit cakes w/roasted red pepper sauce grilled by dad, fresh fruit w/yogurt drizzle, mimosas, nancy's savory mini quiches, home-made strawberry swirl pound cake, right off the cover of southern living and prepared by mom, along with some cute little mortar board capcakes.
COMPS
an even better part leading up to graduation day was passing my comps with distinction. 60 or so of us took comps from an entry class of about 150 that joined up two years ago. only 6 of us were awarded the pass with distinction award and later shown the remarks by the scorers indicating just such scoring. i mean i knew i was learning plenty in my program, and i knew i was passionate and focused about alternate transportation policy, and i knew with the exception of micro-economics (tedious little stuff) that i was making great grades which i knew i had solidly earned. and even the comps case study, which at first i was faintly intrigued by, turned out to be a social service technique that i could learn a lot about and echoed tales of a public servant i had studied  :about in a leadership course (which by the way was deemed by my advisor to be a wasted class that i hadnt needed to take) dr. rainey, you and i know differently :). the leader i had studied was later thought of by us in the biz as an unsung hero and a giant in public service circles. and i came up with a solution to the case study presented at comps and 2 weeks later went onsite to write about that unsung hero modeling my solution of a champion for the cause, a toolkit, and solid policy after that legendary man.
EXAM DAY
we were assigned exam rooms in candler hall, a swanky, pottery barn decor filled hall. a few of us relocated from the crowded room filled with nervous nellies to a smaller quieter room down the hall b/c it was determined that morning that some front row seats had no power supply and thus laptops could not be used. i was thankful for the quiet room. i went in, sat down with my blank copy of the kennedy school of government case study on wraparound services in milwaukee for behaviorally challenged youth. at the bell, i scribbled out the mnemonic i had created to remember my five main points, textbooks to cite, quotes to use, and began to construct the 1500 word answer i had had 2 weeks to prepare and try to memorize. and lastly, i put it all together, all that i had learned...and the best part was...i loved it! i had such a great experience and i knew i rocked the exam and that i had never enjoyed a test so much in my life. and then, two agonizing weeks later...i got the email.
VALIDATION
tsanchez, you have passed comps. okay. in a few minutes 6 of you will receive another email indicating you have not only passed, but you have been assigned a rare "pass with distinction" by both scorers. i was headed out to a meeting in hartwell where i had to pick up the UGA rental vehicle, load up the students and boogie down the road to their in-person, final client presentation. i stared at the computer screen hitting refresh on my inbox...tick tock, tick tock...tsanchez, you have passed with distinction. eeeek! i let out a yelp and put both hands over my mouth. i squeaked again and regina, my only co-worker to notice (or care) stepped into my office and said what is it?  I PASSED MY COMPS...WITH DISTINCTION...AND ONLY 5 OTHERS DID SO. yay me. indeed, yay me.
like i said earlier, i knew all that stuff was working out, and the progress was evident, but let me tell you something, validation is a cool thing. no matter what. no matter how many times my boyfriend called me smart girl, and no matter how many times my co-workers who wrote letters of reference for grad school (because i only had a GRE of 1050 and under 1000 they dont even let you in), and no matter how many times they said they were happy to because i was very bright, i still did not know that. i honestly did not know i could do it. and that is what is fabulous, now i know. and now i am a double dawg, i walked under the arch in 1988 as an undergrad and in 2011 as a masters graduate. sweet.