I have officially finished my third year in the Ph.D. program here at the University of Tennessee. It just seems like yesterday I arrived in Knoxville after coming back from my PR internship in Cape Town, South Africa. I really did not have that much time in between my Master’s and Ph.D. – I had about three weeks to relax and catch my breath! 🙂 During the past three years, I have had some amazing and life-changing events while at Tennessee. Here are just some of the things that has happened to me over the past three years:
- Presenting in China (2008): During my first year, I had the opportunity to go to Beijing and present at the RI Conference. It was my first international conference, and what a wonderful experience! Kristin got a chance to come with me and in between presentations, we got to travel and see the sights in China.
- Going to Amsterdam and Greece for presentations: My second year in the Ph.D. program was pretty busy – I got a chance to work on PR Day 2008 on Crisis Communications and take my primary courses in PR and Marketing (my cognate area). I got to present at two international conferences in 2009 – one in Amsterdam (RI Conference) and the other was in Athens (ATINER Conference). Both were amazing experiences and I had an amazing time at both. 🙂
- Teaching PR Courses: I got a chance to teach two courses this past year, including PR Cases and PR Concepts & Strategies in the IMC program at West Virginia. It was really fun to interact with the students in both classes and see their creativity and excitement about PR. I was very proud of my students this past year – they were all fabulous and I wish them all the best in their future classes and careers! 🙂
- Becoming a doctoral candidate: Earlier this year, I took my comprehensive exams and became a doctoral candidate! I was very excited about this – I started studying for my comps right after I came back from my summer conferences last year – so I spent a good seven to eight months studying. It was definitely an experience, but I learned a lot through the process. 🙂
The professors at UT in the College of Communication and Information have been fabulous – they have been very supportive and encouraging of us to build our research lines, go to presentations, and give us teaching opportunities. I have also made some amazing friends in the Ph.D. program as well at Tennessee – it has been fabulous! 🙂
So – what is next for my fourth year in the Ph.D. program? Well, I am currently working on my dissertation proposal and hopefully be able to defend it this time next year. Each year brings in new expereinces and opportunities, and I am excited about what is going to happen next. 🙂 Here are some other things that are coming up for me:
- RI Conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: In just a few days, I will be heading to the RI Conference in Brazil to present a couple of papers. I am very excited to present and attend this conference – it is going to be a wonderful experience.
- APS Conference: I will be attending and presenting at the APS Conference in Boston. Very excited! 🙂
- IMC Weekend: As an adjunct faculty member, I am going to be attending the IMC Faculty and Student Weekend, and be part of a Crisis Communication Panel. I am very excited to meet the faculty members and students in the IMC program.
- Wayne State University Summer Doctoral Seminar: I was accepted to attend and be part of the summer doctoral seminar on crisis communications at Wayne State University in Michigan. I am very excited about meeting fellow doctoral students and professionals that are in the crisis communications discipline – it is going to be great!
Hope you all are having a great day!
Best Wishes,
Karen
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