A four-year journey, a nearly 300-page dissertation, late nights, reading until my eyes gave out, and writing until I had calluses on my fingertips culminated with commencement ceremonies on May 6, 2019. How do I feel?

Hooding ceremony. Dr. Michelle Zoss, my adviser.

It is surreal. I feel relieved on some level, but I keep wondering when the next round of revisions will begin. And, of course, the job hunt continues. And I have a couple of articles in process, so the work continues. In the next weeks, I will debrief in this space and consider what is to come. In the meantime, I am becoming accustomed to hearing people call me Dr. Loomis. I like it. I earned it.