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you already know the outcome of my defense, but, i thought i'd relive the day.

although i will have to make minor revisions to my thesis before sending it to my formatter, the hard part is over. this is the first time in a LONG time that i haven't worried about making time to work on it, or do a little more research.

my defense ran from 930am-1215pm. i presented my thesis information in the form of a powerpoint presentation for about an hour. i rehearsed my presentation the night before, but there was one area i seemed to not be comfortable with, and during my actual presentation, it showed. it also didn't help that i knew that was the most important part and i let my nerves get the best of me. however, it was my research and i did know what i was talking about. i was there.

after the presentation, the floor was open to questions. i got a two-part question from a guest who showed up midway into my presentation, but most of the questions came from my committee. they took turns asking me about my experiences, statistics, theoretical models, and study site. i had prepared for the worst when it came to questions, and i thought they'd nit-pick and tear my methodology apart. their questions were very reasonable, and i did have an honest and actual answers for them. i've never really been a good BSer, so that also worked in my favor. dr. schaefer seemed to like the two theoretical models i chose to guide my research. dr. fox said i showed some forward thinking in choosing a model that was from the business world, and applying it to a nonprofit, and then further applying it to a museum. that was a relief to know, as i thought they'd kill me for not choosing a theoretical framework pulled straight from anthropology or the museum field. dr. fox did think that the title of my thesis was inspired by margaret mead's "coming of age in samoa," since my thesis title starts off with "coming of age in the museum..." she thinks anthropology reaches the deep recesses of my brain :)

after questions, we then discussed the job i will start after graduation, and they called me one of their "success stories." because of this, they've asked me to write a piece for the department's newsletter, the museum of anthropology's newsletter, and something for IRA, which i believe is an organization that helps fund some programs on campus, including the museum of anthropology. i really do believe that the hands-on classes and activities we do in the museum studies classes allowed me to apply principle to practice. before coming to chico, my resume was pretty much a blank piece of paper. through the classes and work opportunities dr. schaefer and dr. fox gave me, i think i look good on paper. i mean, the ocean star likes me, right?

we talked so much about the thesis and the job, that i forgot i still had to leave the room for my committee to discuss awarding me the degree. after everything, i still had doubts. again, i'd heard from people that they take forever to decide. i only had enough time to wash my hands in the bathroom before i heard dr. fox call me from down the hallway to return. when i walked back into the room, both of them were standing and dr. fox said, "trina, congratulations. we would like to award you a master of arts degree in anthropology with an emphasis in museum studies." i was really excited, and all of us hugged and signed papers. dr. schaefer asked me to visit her museum administration class later in the day to talk about my thesis and new job, to sort of encourage them to see that the museum studies program is worthwhile.

so that was my day yesterday. after three and a half years of classes and a year away to work and do my thesis, everything worked out in the end.