Yesterday, a chapter of my life will be coming to a close and another will be opening. I participated in the graduate hooding ceremony at the University of Tennessee where I officially became “Dr. Freberg 2.0” (Mom is the original Dr. Freberg). 🙂
The graduation ceremony at Thomson Boling Arena was very cool – the music was great and I had the chance to be hooded by my advisor and dissertation chair at Tennessee, Dr. Palenchar. After the ceremony, Dad made some amazing food (ribs, hamburgers, steak, and much more) for some of my friends and it was a fabulous way to end a great day and closing of a big chapter in my life.
These last four years in Knoxville have been life-changing for me in so many ways – both professionally and personally. I feel that I have grown significantly over the course of the PhD program, and there are so many wonderful things and lessons that I have learned along the way during the process of the PhD. Here are just a few of the things that I have learned during my time as a PhD student at Tennessee:
- Teaching great classes with fabulous students: I had the chance to fulfill my lifelong dream and teach a couple of courses during my time at Tennessee. I was able to teach PR Cases and PR Principles at Tennessee, help out and TA for the Social Media class, and also been active in teaching for the IMC program at West Virginia. It has been very rewarding for me – I have taught some great students and it is very exciting to see them start their career in PR and become engaged and passionate about PR.
- Time management is a must!: Luckily, being a student-athlete where you had to juggle class, working out, tutoring, and competition was always a struggle – the same goes with the PhD. Time management skills are a must have! It seems that as each semester goes by – the busier I get! 🙂 From teaching classes to researching multiple projects to consulting – there is never a dull moment! 🙂
- Traveling the world with research presentations: I had the great opportunity to present at not only conferences around the US, but around the world. Presenting in other countries like China, Greece, the Netherlands, and Brazil were all done during my time in the PhD program at Tennessee. On all of these trips, I was able to travel with Kristin (China, Greece, and Brazil) and with Mom (Greece) as well – good times!
- Research opportunities: It has been great to participate and initiate research studies in areas that I am interested in – not only in PR but also in Psychology. It has been wonderful to work on social media grant projects (NCFPD and DOD) and white papers in all of these areas – it has been very educational for me as a scholar.
- Experiencing the Tennessee way of life: I have really enjoyed living in Knoxville – it is a great place to live! There are so many great things that I was able to do with friends in the area like Zorbing, Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, the Jack Daniels Distillery, and of course Nashville (where we saw Rascal Flatts play – fabulous)!
With all of these highlights in mind, I would like to take the time to thank several people that have been helpful for me throughout my years at Tennessee. I have to thank several professors that really helped me during my time in Tennessee both in the classroom and served as a valuable resource to talk to about research and teaching (Dr. McMillan, Dr. Fall, Dr. Taylor, Dr. Luther, and Dr. Childers). I also have to thank Dr. Palenchar for his guidance and support as my dissertation chair and advisor – he provided good advice with research and teaching in PR and crisis communications. I also have to thank the staff and faculty at West Virginia in the IMC program as well – Chad, Rick, Shelly and the rest of the faculty and my current / former students in the IMC program at WVU – thank you for all of your support as well! 🙂
I have to give a shout out to my friends that have been very supportive and encouraging during the PhD – whether it is shopping trips or going to gym classes together to having movie gatherings – these individuals are fabulous and I am lucky to call them my friends. Monica and Sabrina were there always for the extra encouragement and really are true lifelong friends – there were some fabulous trips, food events, and parties we planned and did – and all were absolutely fabulous! Thank you ladies! I have to also give a shout out to my other friends Stephanie, Simon (and his family), Angela, Arsev, Lei, Anthony, Scott, Kitty, Scott, and the rest of the PhD students at Tennessee. Thank you for the memories and we will always have coffee, the GTA office, and of course social media. 🙂
Last but certainly not least – I have to give major praise to my family. Their support and encouragement meant the world to me – Mom, Dad, Kristin, and Karla. My family has been always there for me and have been very supportive of my efforts to accomplish one of my lifelong dreams. Their kind words meant the world to me and I am very fortunate to have such a wonderful and amazing family. This is the main reason why I dedicated my dissertation (aka “Bruce Lee”) to my family. 🙂
It has been a wonderful experience being in the PhD program at Tennessee – definitely one of the best decisions I could have made. 🙂 I am extremely proud to be a Vol and am excited to consider myself a Tennessee alumni. 🙂 Hope you all are having a great day! Stay tuned for graduation hooding pictures in the next couple of days!
Best Wishes,
Karen aka Dr. Karen Freberg 🙂
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