Saturday, May 7, 2016

Dad Gets a Masters Degree

Graduation Day!  The day has finally come to end my experience as a student of The University of Memphis.  I was glad to do it with so many people I care about.  Obviously my cohort was a huge support to me.  We became good friends, and I will be sad to say goodbye when we move to Dallas.  Here we are waiting in the tunnel before the processional.  Our hoods were forest green.


Here we are in the program.  I am at the very bottom left.


We were actually some of the very first to walk in, and some of the very first to walk across the stage.  Cory, Emmy, Gigi Page, Big Daddy Mike, and Grandpa Wayne were all in the stands to watch me receive my diploma.  


It was nice to walk at the very beginning, but it wasn't so nice to sit and wait while all the undergrad people walked.  It was a two and a half hour ceremony and I was done with my part in the first 20 minutes.  It gave me some perspective thinking about how I felt two years ago graduating from BYU.  The graduate students probably were bored stiff while I was walking across the stage.  You just have to keep reminding yourself that each person walking across the stage represents a lot of time and work, so it is obviously important to them.


We all posed with each other and the faculty before breaking up for the last time to go find our families in the crowd.


A few times during the ceremony I would turn around to look up at my family.  Emmy waved sometimes.  When I got up to where they were sitting she gave me a big hug.


The graduation was at FedEx Forum, where the Grizzlies play, so we headed out front to get some pictures.  Here I am with the real MVP, Cory!  Thanks for all your support in taking care of me and Emmy.  I was gone a lot of nights and you kept everything running smoothly.  I love you!



Emmy was so cute in her little dress and bow.  This is probably my favorite picture from the day.  The rest of the post will mostly be pictures.


The family.


This is what my hood looked like from behind.


I was glad my Mom and Dad could be there, as well.


Grandpa Wayne also came up from Texas.


Emmy was over pictures pretty quickly.  After sitting in the arena for so long, I don't blame her.  Gigi helped calm her down.


Afterwards we headed for some Memphis BBQ.  I also ran over to campus with my dad to take some pictures.  Here I am with Tom, the Memphis mascot, in front of the student center.


Robison Hall is where I spent most of my time on campus.  It is the School of Public Health, and all but three of my classes were in this building.


This is the Administration Building.


There is a huge Ramesses II statue on campus, too.  I almost never was on that side of campus, but I figured I would get a picture.  Memphis is named after an ancient Egyptian city, and was the capital of the Old Kingdom.  Also, the university doesn't really have anything else Egyptian about it that I ever saw, which makes the statue more random.


Now these tiger statues are not random and are all over campus.  The university had 100 of them commissioned for the 100 year anniversary of the founding.  Each one represents a different year and is painted uniquely.


I had an amazing experience at the University of Memphis. Go Tigers Go!

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