My Story
The Origin Story of a Learning Scientist
I graduated with a PhD (stopping for an MEd along the way) in three years! My work started the summer before the fall quarter, continued through each summer between quarters, and ended with my defense in the summer after year 3. No breaks! Let’s be clear: I was also a full-time student on my advisor’s research grant, so that was a privilege I did not take for granted. I never would have been able to fly through with a full-time, non-campus job.
How did I do it? I’d like to say it was done in a 10-easy-step process, and for the price of buying my book, you can find out, too! But, all capitalism aside, I think the root of the answer lies in my family tree: my mom, the professor, and my dad, the GED teacher:
From left to right: Dr. Mom, Me, and Daddio on graduation day from undergrad at USC (2009).
My mom got her PhD from the University of Southern California in Public Administration, where she taught while she worked for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. My dad, also a government employee, taught GED classes for the California State Department of Corrections in the Inland Empire. (On Tuesday nights, Brother Bill doubled as the Bible study teacher.)
One parent, a professor at an elite private school, and the other parent, a teacher in the prison industrial complex. I can’t think of a more opposite set of classrooms. The credit goes to my parents for teaching me to navigate educational systems with resourcefulness, tenacity, and curiosity.
Image on left: Mom getting her PhD diploma from her advisor at USC with me interrupting the graduation picture (1994).
Image on right: Me getting my PhD diploma from my advisor at the University of Washington with my mom on the side (2014).
I knew I wanted to go to graduate school to study Black college athletes’ barriers to graduation. Here’s a laughably brief snapshot of my timeline:
My first summer before school started, I was offered a tutoring job for the summer athletes bridge program.
In my first Fall quarter, I formed my supervisor committee (with my chair’s recommendations)
In my second year, I was taking methods classes and filling out my Qualifying Exams.
In my third year, I was carrying out the dissertation proposal that I turned in the summer before, and (this is important) having a dissertation chair who didn’t mind combining steps and pushing paperwork through (wink wink).
With a tenured professor on my side and a built-in campus job with the population I wanted to study, I learned the rules and set about playing the game.
That IRB application? Submitted.
That dissertation chair? Replaced.
That dissertation fund? Secured.
Yes, I was strategic and purposeful. Yes, I wanted to give up and not advocate for myself to my dissertation chair when things went down. My story is a mix of my parents’ belief and encouragement, a little bit of my wisdom, and a whole lotta divine grace.
I hope you enjoy exploring my website!
