November Gratitudes - Day 14 (second chances in graduate school)

Today I am grateful for second chances. In 2004 I started a M.A. program in History at the University of Kentucky with the intention of continuing on for my Ph.D. The three years of my life spent as a student in that department were among the worst of my life. I started graduate school full of self-confidence, but one semester wiped that away. Not only did my confidence fade, but so too did my love of history. Finally, on a whim that third year I randomly took a class in the department of Educational Policy and Evaluation Studies. It was amazing, just how I had always imagined graduate school would be. Transfering departments cost me 2.5 years of graduate school, but it was completely worth it. I found my passion and confidence again. I found my way back to academia because I felt supported and encouraged in ways I never could have imagined in my "lost" years. Yep, I'm totally grateful for the chance to start over, and for second chances!