Graduation

This past Friday was my dad's birthday (happy birthday dad...as well as Matt O). It also was the official completion of my formal education. I was hooded, which is basically what is done when you receive your PhD. I was able to have my co-Chair hood me, which is nice since not everyone gets that opportunity. I don't have any pictures from it (though I assume some folks have pictures for me), but I was able to borrow some from the web and Sherry's graduation last year.

Hill Auditorium last year for Sherry's graduation...same look for mine.

Prior to the start of the ceremony the graduates (master and PhD) formed a processional from the Rackham Graduate School to Hill Auditorium. This gave the photographer an opportunity to snap a picture of each graduate.

Me enjoying the graduate processional.

The ceremony was very nice and I thought the speaker did a very good job. My co-chair told me that at one point he used a long technical term and the sign language guy just put his hands up indicating that he didn't know what to do with it. Once the master students were recognized (congrats Seth), the PhDs were announced individually. The master students were given the option to do a fist bump with President Coleman instead of a hand shake due to the swine flu. However the PhDs were just given hand sanitizer and everyone shook hands with her.

Shaking hands with President Coleman...I knew that my tassel was going to be in my face for this picture.

Then that was pretty much it besides another picture off to the side and a nice dinner with the family that joined me for the day.

The culmination of 23 years of formal education.