Pull Up A Chair #8

Yesterday, my social media feed filled with graduation photos from Vanderbilt University. Caps up. Smiles wide. A moment that marks an ending—and something just beginning.I wasn’t there in Nashville. And in many ways, that felt fitting. My path through this program didn’t follow a straight line.

Over six years, I had the rare privilege of learning alongside four different cohorts. Four groups of brilliant, curious, accomplished individuals. And yet, the Sweet 16 cohort holds a special place in my heart. So yesterday, watching them walk—it landed.I’ve shared before that I pursued my doctorate to honor my five-year-old self. The little girl who asked questions. Who observed. Who wanted to understand why things worked the way they did. When it came time to choose where to go, I didn’t hedge. I wanted the best. Not for the credential—but for the experience that would stretch me, challenge me, and refine how I think. That decision led me to Vanderbilt.

I didn’t just earn a degree. I was shaped by a process that demanded more of me. Mentors who continue to guide how I think and lead (Eve Rifkin, Matthew Campbell, Ed.D., Marilyn Pelosi, Christine Quinn Trank). Peers who stretched my perspective—again and again, iron sharpening iron. Thousands of pages written and read—not just for knowledge, but for clarity, depth, and meaning. And four trips to Nashville—each one deepening my connection to a place that now feels like a second home.And underneath it all—this journey was never mine alone. It was built on the quiet sacrifices of my parents—who gave, supported, and believed in ways that made this path possible long before I ever stepped into a classroom.

This degree carries their fingerprints, too.There is something happening at Vanderbilt. You see it in the momentum—in rising rankings, including U.S. News & World Report, in the energy around athletics—from football to women’s basketball—and in the caliber of people the university continues to attract and develop. But more than anything, you feel it in the expectation: That good isn’t good enough. That excellence is the baseline. That leadership is about shaping what’s next. And perhaps most importantly—it is the best because it truly cares about its people.

This is a university on the rise—because it has chosen to be (Malina Halman-Peguillan, Ed.D.).All this brings me back to that five-year-old version of me. She would be proud—not just of the degree, but of the becoming. Of the girl once called “stupid” in elementary school who kept going anyway. Or the woman whose strength and authenticity haven’t always been welcomed—and who rose anyway.A terminal degree is a milestone. But for me, it’s also a quiet act of defiance… and of fulfillment.To my cohort—congratulations.

And to Vanderbilt—thank you for a journey that shaped me in ways I’m still uncovering.Anchor down. ⚓️