Welcome to a place I call a "Labor of Love". Although I have always dreamt of pursuing a doctoral, when opportunities presented themselves, I did not feel passionate about the program. Then, when I found a program I felt passionate about, the opportunity to successfully complete it was not available. I was a single mother to 4 amazing people and my focus after completing my Masters at the University of Miami was to ensure they succeeded in middle school, high school and beyond. 

Years later, when the youngest was a Senior in high school, I was blessed with an incredible and supportive husband. He has been the force behind the acquisition of this degree. 

He encouraged me to begin, 1 or 2 classes at a time, he cheered me on when I was discouraged at the large workload. He read every assignment and listened to my rants about current topics, theories and possible dissertation research topics, etc. The times I felt like giving up, he ensured I had the space and peace to spend all day and night reading, researching and writing. Without his support, and the support and encouragement from my biological children, as well as my school children, none of this would be possible. 

Below is a glimpse at the amount of work it took to get to the finish line. Some information has been redacted to protect sources, privacy and sensitive information.