Stories of Resilience, Perseverance to Reach Completion in a Doctoral Program

This book is designed to provide inspiration and encouragement to those experiencing the doctoral journey. The authors are a group of education professionals who completed the Concordia University Irvine (CUI) Doctor of Education (Ed.D) degree. Collectively, this cohort dealt with the loss of a parent, grandparent and other loved ones, flooding in a home, severe illness, career moves, marital conflicts, legal issues, ailing parents, small children at home, and a variety of other life circumstances that may have derailed others. This resilient group exemplifies the best of our profession. When they began the doctoral program, there were six teachers, two district office employees and three persons working at universities. They came from all walks of life and bring a variety of perspectives to the program. They are individually highly competitive, yet as a cohort they thrive working collaboratively. The cohort was initiated with eleven students and resulted in ten doctorates, with one colleague still in progress. The coursework is grueling. Perseverance is the key. This cohort put in long hours and worked hard to reach the terminal education degree.