On Saturday, Oct. 17, graduate student, Savanna Andrasian was officially able to add the ‘Dr.’ title to her name, as she received her doctoral degree from the Doctoral Program in Education and Leadership (DPEL).
Dr. John Stark, DPEL director, awarded Dr. Andrasian with her degree, and said a few words about her journey.
“This is absolutely a fantastic pleasure and honor to be able to be here today -- Savanna has worked very very hard the last three years to make this happen. She’s put in a lot of hours, over and above all of the normal things that come in in life, yet she still found time for family and friends and to be able to have a life, and it really is a mark on credit to her for all that she’s accomplished in making this happen,” said Dr. John Stark.
Dr. Stark went on to add that “she has been a fantastic student, she is passionate about higher education, absolutely passionate about working with her students and helping them succeed. And for us in the Doctoral Program, this is exactly the kind of student we want. We’re about helping other people. This is a service profession that we’re in, and she is a great example of that.”
After receiving her degree, Dr. Andrasian noted that she could not have been there without each and every person in attendance for their support and guidance, helping her get to where she is today and the potential to be everything that she is in the future.
“It’s a pinnacle, an accomplishment that I’ve had going through school all my life. I love school,” said Dr. Savanna Andrasian.
Her dissertation was entitled, “Student Perception on Mandatory First-Year Seminar at Bakersfield College: A Qualitative Study.”
“I just wanted to make my parents proud and my family proud, be the first to earn a doctorate in my family, and just to have another level where future generations can look up to and be like, ‘we can go there, we can aim for that.’ It’s possible, it’s just part of the legacy now. That’s what it means to me,” Dr. Andrasian added.
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