Sep 17, 2014 | Testimonials

The process of completing the dissertation is a singular solitary task. One is incredibly alone on this intense journey towards the mountain top. Because of our humanness we carry the old familiar doubts and insecurities that sometimes threaten to block the path or topple the traveler off the road and we also carry the belief and hope that someday the mountain top will be within sight. And because of our humanness, one searches and searches for fellow travelers to share the misery and the joy.

SisterMentors women and girls became my fellow travelers. I’m not sure whether they chose me or I chose them. I do know that once we connected there was no way I was going to let them go. The amazing women who were part of my SisterMentors experience did more than accompany me on the journey — they inspired me, taught me, chided and scolded me, laughed at me, laughed with me, listened to me, and worked alongside me. I could be assured that somebody would hear and respond to my deep philosophical musings or the mundane minutia of my particular dissertation experience. For that nurturing experience, I am eternally grateful.

Reaching the mountain top does not mean the journey is over. Oh, no. What the experience of SisterMentors really helps us understand is that even as we struggle, we are reaching and teaching and stretching internal and external boundaries for there are more mountains to climb. There are the determined members of the group who learn to face challenges together and turn them into opportunities. They were with me on this walk– with their unique experiences, incredible talents and different scholarly interests. There are the fascinating young women who are part of the group mentoring process. They, too, were with me on this walk, with their huge eyes wide open, their ears perked and, as my Caribbean sisters, would say “plenty, plenty questions.”

At the end, which we all now know is never an end but another beginning, SisterMentors lets us go. We are pushed gently out of the nest to make room for others but nurtured well enough to spread our wings and soar…

More in this Category

My Journey with SisterMentors

My Journey with SisterMentors

I still remember the day I discovered SisterMentors. I was 9 years old, and curiosity at that time played a significant role in my life. It was a beautiful spring day and I was spending it at my local library. I noticed a lot of commotion in the community room and...

read more

Emilie Boone, Ph.D.

Happy 20th Anniversary to SisterMentors! You have so much to celebrate! I have so much to be grateful for because of my participation in SisterMentors. It was really the relationships in my life that got me through the dissertation. I count Dr. Lewis, and the women in...

read more

Fanta Aw, Ph.D.

I knew Dr. Lewis and her passion for education so when I was getting ready for my dissertation Dr. Lewis and I reconnected. I was experiencing major writer's block, feeling overwhelmed, and had not made any progress on the proposal for several months. I had no...

read more