Thesis: Social Engagement Behaviors of Two Children with ASD in Intervention Sessions Using a Robot

Today was my thesis defense. Basically, in a nutshell, I write my 70-page thesis, proofread it a thousand and a half times, get it approved, and then stand up in front of my committee (and anyone else who wants to watch) and give a 30min presentation on my thesis (introduction about the topic, method of the study, results, and conclusions). Following the presentation, I am asked brutal questions from my committee. Then, everyone is dismissed while the committee makes a verdict. After about 3 minutes, I was told to come back in and they said I passed and only had to make a few minor changes on my thesis before I can move on to the next step (which is the graduate chair, then to the dean, then turned in to the library). Since I have finished my internships and passed the praxis, this is the final step before I graduate. :D

Kyle came to support me as well as one of the girls from my master's program. It was really nice and a little less nerve-racking pretending to present only to Kyle and Katherine rather than the 3 professors on my committee. I felt the presentation went well overall, but man were those questions difficult. I felt pretty confident about a few questions, but a few others I don't even think I really answered the question (haha) so the professor had to redirect me a little bit.

Overall, this was one of the craziest experiences of my life and I don't know if I'd ever recommend to anyone to do something like a thesis. It was a good experience giving a presentation on research that I, myself, completed.

I am truly blessed to have a husband and a family that are so supportive and patient when I was flipping out about portions of my thesis. I bet they're just as excited that I'm done with this project as I am. :)