Surviving the Dissertation: Tokea’s Personal Journey
Dr. Tokea Morales became a client in April 2019 and defended in November 2019 (7 months!!). She faced seemingly insurmountable obstacles along the way and managed to not only survive, but flourish. Her dedication and tenacity inspired us, so we asked her to write a guest blog post about her journey. Enjoy!
Life is crazier now than it’s ever been! Work, family, commitments, tragedies, health issues, and other distractions are all reasons to fall behind in a doctoral program. Did you know that 50% of PhD students drop out of their programs and 48% of those remaining remain ABD? I know it’s hard, but that doesn’t have to be your story! When you feel like you’re running out of steam, visit here.
2019 turned out to be the hardest year of my life both personally and professionally, but I managed to come out on top with a brand-new home, a healthy baby boy, and a doctorate! Here’s a little of my journey.
After a tough year, in December 2018 at eight weeks pregnant, my family and I sold most of our possessions and relocated to the Virgin Islands. Our goal was to take some time to slow down and find ourselves “present” in our lives again. We’d grown weary of the hustle and bustle of Atlanta and opted for a slower pace to recharge and reprioritize. We thought it would be a time of rest and relaxation, but boy were we wrong!
Two days after arrival, I found myself in the emergency room with pregnancy complications. While in the hospital, I learned our Chief Operating Officer was against my move (although my entire company is remote). Although he had six months of notice, he’d just decided he had a problem with my living on an island (which we later found out was due to his inability to focus while traveling). Just a few months prior, I’d inherited our Information Technology (IT) team whose function I knew zero about (I’m an HR practitioner by the way). The team’s leader misled potential customers about our capabilities and subsequently landed me in front of high stakes, high dollar and extremely angry clients, and (yep!) back in the hospital. Our move wasn’t off to a great start, I was highly stressed, suffering from numbing headaches, and at that moment I was our only source of income.
In March, I’d learned my Aunt (and favorite person in the world) was diagnosed with a rare and untreatable cancer. By the end of March, I was transitioning the IT team I’d inherited to another leader and taking on a new team — also significantly behind on its promises, and the countdown (T-4 months) to the baby was on! No pressure! By the end of March, I’d wrapped up my final research course, and due to scheduling issues still owed one additional class. In the summer, our small (50 sq mile) hometown of Dayton, Ohio suffered back-to-back tragedies, a deadly and random public shooting, a KKK rally, and 15 tornadoes ravaged the city in one night. By June, we’d relocated back to Atlanta for safer hospitals and I experienced my first death of a close family member, my grandfather. A few weeks later and two days after completing my last class, our healthy baby was born via an emergency c-section two weeks early. Post-pregnancy complications resulted in a terrifying two week versus the standard two-day stay. Our time on the island helped me realize that island life wasn’t for me as I’d desperately missed my friends and family, so in August, we put a contract on a home in Atlanta. Our home was slated to be completed in November, so I regrettably returned to the island with a new baby in-tow while awaiting construction. On November 2, we moved back to Atlanta and I successfully defended on November 15 only four months after completing my last class. How did I do it? Here goes…
- Creating Connections – During the residency portion of my program, I formed some pretty awesome friendships, which was great because we kept one another motivated, served as sounding boards, and asked clarifying questions when we felt lost along the way. I also made a point during this time to connect with two professors whose research interests mirrored my own who could guide me as needed.
- Intentionality – Long before I became ABD, I researched all of the steps required and time involved to back myself into a timeline of my choosing. I am a true believer in starting with the end in mind and visualizing a plan to ensure feasibility and aid with personal accountability. This approach also helps to level-set with advisors and begin the conversation with goals rather than leaving to fate. Share this plan with dates with your advisor to ensure alignment.
- Hypothesis Testing – During my last quarter of classes I’d reached out to a Dissertation Coach (love Jessica!) to discuss my accelerated timeline (and allow her to tell me if I was plum crazy) and to aid with crafting my direction. I’d changed topics in my final research course and needed some help designing my approach. It was very insightful to speak to someone who’d “been there and done that” who could help me firm up Chapters 1-3. I wasn’t yet assigned to an advisor and didn’t want to lull as the baby was now only two months away.
- Time and Space Creation – When most advise on the dissertation phase, they will tell you to find a time or space that works for you and go there and write every day. Well here I was, on an island with only one car (which my husband used for his employ) and an 11-hour daily work schedule ………..yep still playing catchup for my predecessors. To have quiet time I needed to create time, so for two months I researched and wrote from 4:00 – 6:00 am just in time for my five-year-old daughter to rise for school. By 7:30 am they were out the door, and 7:30-8:00 am was my time to meditate and be still. Find what works for you.
- Reframing Perspective – Rather than viewing the dissertation as this awful thing you have to get through, look at it as the creation that can catapult your career in a new direction and elevate you. Enjoy the journey (well, maybe not chapter 2, but you get it). It’s so easy to veg, not write, nap, and feel like you need a mental health day from it, but don’t allow that to turn into weeks. When you write about a topic you love, you can and should become obsessed with it. Try not to let the small things weigh you down or demotivate you. Become laser-focused on your personal goals and keep a notepad handy as great ideas arise. Personally, I use the “Google Keep” app on my phone for those creative bursts.
- Continuous Motion – Always forward. Often advisors will quote ten days of turnaround time for feedback; during that time don’t sit idle. You can do things like research the nuts and bolts of the next chapter; acquire more articles; find dissertations related to your topic (preferably with your advisor); ensure references are accounted for on the references page; run what you’ve written through Turnitin to ensure originality; learn the software system you’ll use during data collection; research the IRB phase; and begin the IRB application.
- Spatial Planning – Related to number six is being mindful of built-in downtimes and use the time wisely. The IRB phase is one where it’s easy to fall off while waiting. For me, the IRB phase took nine weeks. During that time, I created the table of contents; wrote the acknowledgments and dedication for the front matter; added placeholders and headings for the remaining two chapters; cleaned up the references; added the appendices; created figures and tables; and refined and loaded my survey into the software system.
- Self-awareness – Finally, be honest with yourself about what will realistically work for you and your limitations. For example, I knew early on that APA wasn’t my strong suit, and I tend to hate the small details, so I hired an editor who did an amazing job (insert additional kudos for Dissertation by Design here!). Or maybe weekends don’t work for you do to kids’ sports schedules, be kind to yourself and don’t sell yourself a pipe dream.
Believe that what you want to manifest and put forth the effort to do will indeed come to fruition.
Life happens, plan for the unexpected.
Tokea Andebrhan Morales, EdD
LinkedIn Profile: linkedin.com/in/tokea-andebrhan/