Keeping My Eye on the Prize

I never thought when this pandemic started to hit this country back in March that it would affect my graduate program. In February I learned that my graduate school was closing, due to financial reasons, and that I needed to find another school to transfer into. All of this made for a fun winter. 

In mid-March, like so many others, our office was closed and we were forced to work from home. This also disrupted my normal routine, after work I would find myself at the library or at a cafe ready to focus on my research and classwork. Well when the school shut down so did the library and restaurants. So I was now forced to sit at the same spot for work and school and just continue throughout the day. 

My school closed down on April 24, I submitted my last assignment, and on Monday, April 27, I was to start a new class at a new school. Due to transferring into a new program, I needed to take an additional class for 8 weeks which I was not very excited about as well as continue my dissertation research.

It seems all so simple, like I said I never thought what was happening in the world around me would actually affect me. Boy was I wrong. April 24th I officially finished at Concordia University - Portland and I was also furloughed from my job. However, grad school must go on. April 27 I officially started at Concordia University - Wisconsin, in which I had to learn a whole new system and take additional classes. During all of this I was trying to figure out this life of no work, interviewing for new jobs and surviving a pandemic.

Slowly job searching and surviving became more of a priority over school. I did the work that needed to be done for this additional class but my research was put on the back burner. I just didn't have the passion to work on it. I shared this all with my advisor and he said, many people are surprised how this pandemic has affected them. 

I finished that last class about a week ago, moved to Massachusetts, and now waiting for a new job to start. With all this in mind, I decided I needed to get refocused. I need to keep my eye on the prize. Finish what I started. Earning my doctorate has been a goal and dream of mine for a LONG time and I can't lose my focus. 

It's time to get refocused, re-engaged, and make my research a priority. In some ways I feel like I am starting over but really I just need to get organized. I am not giving up!! I can hear my friend Mindy Lu telling me, "stay the course"!!

Keeping my eyes on the prize!!