dr. t

i went to my really good friend t's defense on friday. she's one of my closest friends here in champaign-urbana. we actually visited uiuc together in the spring of 2002 to decide which grad school we'd go to. we basically survived the first year together--taking almost all the same classes. we hung out together a lot our first few years, and though the time we spend together has steadily declined, i still really enjoy our time together.

anyways, back to t. she did a fabulous job at her defense. it was well organized, her slides were interesting without too much text, and she presented it very well. i was very pleased that she presented her work in such a fashion that people that aren't in her area could understand the work. it was a job very well done. she has worked so hard at finishing up the past weeks, and it showed when her committee signed her defense paperwork such that she passed with no revisions needed. she is going to make some slight revision to clarify some points brought up in the defense, but other than that, she's done! :) say hello to dr. t!

i'm so proud of dr. t. it's been a hard and long road for her with regards to advisors, research, support from the department, and various other things. but t knew what she wanted, and she needed a phd to teach at a university. i know that there were many days (even months, perhaps years) where this thought of teaching would be thing that would keep her going. well, she's finished and she's got her dream job at teaching at her undergrad university in a city that she loves. i'm so incredibly happy for her.

i can't believe it's already been 6 years since the day she started her phd. time has gone so quickly, and to be honest, we both thought i'd be the first to leave. t had lamented the fact that i would be gone and that she would be here in champaign urbana without me. my how the tables have turned. :) now, i'm the one lamenting. actually, i'm currently in denial. t had told me the date that she was going to leave, but it just crept up on me so fast. in a blink of an eye, it was the beginning of july, and then when i came back from vacation, she was defending in 2 days. now, she's leaving on tuesday. we're having dinner together tomorrow night, but i'm still in denial that she's leaving. i'm just not ready to say good bye yet.

i love you dr. t. i'm so proud and happy of what you've accomplished these 6 years. i've seen you grow so much during this time, and i'm so glad and privileged i could share this time with you. i know you're going to do great teaching! don't forget all those hints for topics and lectures for computer security that we came up for you! :)