“Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.” ~ Maya Angelou
It was the last day of classes (for me), and I said goodbye to the latest HP graduates Caide, Nan, and Elizabeth. Elizabeth successfully defended her thesis just this morning. They’re the third graduating class I’ve studied with during my tenure in the Historic Preservation program. That’s the advantage, or drawback, depending on how you look at it, between full-time and part-time studentry. They all move on, and I’m still slugging through. But hey, I keep meeting really great people along the way, so it’s not a bad deal from my perspective. After class, it was time for the Appalachian Center’s end-of-semester shindig. Sociology Prof. Shaunna Scott is retiring, and the App Center honored her for the 30+ years of work she’s done for Appalachia and Appalachian Studies at UK. Yours truly started the day with an email from the Appalachian Center that I’d been awarded the Brown Graduate Student for Research Award. The award’s founder, Dwight Billings, happened to be in shindig attendance. Naturally, a photo of the powerhouse three – Dwight, Kathryn Engle, and Shaunna – had to be got. A good time was had by all. I had loads of great conversation, a few hugs, a lot of laughs, and a pretty awesome day. This has been a pivotal semester for me, and I’m excited for this new phase of scholarship.
Kiya Heartwood
Way to go Ko! Proud of you.