Mission accomplished

After nearly 6 years, I completed my Doctor of Philosophy degree in Human Genetics on 6/29. It seems so long ago that Mom, Grandma Katy, and I traveled out to Baltimore to look for apartments and found my cute little one-bedroom up in Hampden. I remember driving 17 hours from Red Wing with Dad, Adam and a U-Haul. And I'll never forget crying in my apartment after they said goodbye, as I was all alone in this new place and didn't know a single person. Thankfully those tears were quickly replaced by homework and exams, and the loneliness was replaced with new friends and memories. My graduate career consisted of some of my life's biggest challenges (oral exams, the ups and downs of research, finishing off my dissertation and thesis presentation) and many of my most cherished memories.


It was such a great feeling when I finally reached the moment of delivering my thesis seminar. It was comforting to look out at the audience and see not strangers, but a huge network of family, friends, colleagues, and so many wonderful people I've encountered during my graduate career at Hopkins. I am so fortunate to have a loving family that has always encouraged me to continue my education and achieve my goals. I was honored to thank them for their constant support in getting me to this place in my life.


Not only was I able to earn a few new letters (PhD) after my name in my time at Hopkins, but I also managed to change my name completely when I married the love of my life, Mark. It was such a blessing that our paths crossed here. Mark has been immensely helpful throughout this journey. He has listened to my talks, read my papers, given me advice, questioned my data like a true scientist should, and supported me when I needed it most - especially this past month when I had a LOT to get done was super stressed out.



Dad (Chuck), Mom (Ann) and her boyfriend Jeff flew out from MN/WI and Mark's parents drove down for the big event. I was very happy they could come! My mentor Garry and the Cutting lab had a really nice reception for me - complete with champagne and DQ ice cream cake! Then we went out for dinner at Kobe Japanese Steakhouse where they cook all the food in front of you - highly entertaining. Afterward we had drinks and played shuffleboard at the Mount Washington Tavern. A fantastic day all around!



Dad stayed with us through Thursday (but didn't get home til late Friday night due to a number of Delta dilemmas) and Mom & Jeff stayed until the morning of July 4th. Mostly we just relaxed and played with the pugs, and also walked around nearby Patterson Park and also Federal Hill Park, which has a great view of the Inner Harbor. Mom and Jeff toured the Harley-Davidson factory in York, PA, the Gettysburg battlefields, and Fort McHenry. Lots of yummy food was also consumed at Little Havana (Cuban), Arcos (Mexican), and Blue Moon Cafe (our favorite breakfast spot). I loved having the fam here and hope they will come back soon!!



This week I started a 3-yr fellowship in clinical genetics at Johns Hopkins. I'll be learning how to run a lab that analyzes patient samples and diagnoses disease. First I am training in cytogenetics (think chromosomal abnormalities, e.g. Down syndrome) and later I will move on to molecular genetics (point mutations, e.g. cystic fibrosis).

Next on the agenda is Mark's thesis seminar on August 12th!!

Here are some more pics from 6/29 and the parents' visit: