In honor of Mother's Day, Doctoral Mom would like to introduce you to the amazing women that make up the Doctoral Mom group. Join us as we listen to their advice and stories. Today we would like to welcome Georgina Fiorentino. Georgina is a mother to three and her area of study is organizational leadership emphasis in organizational development at the Grand Canyon University.
Motherhood What advice would you give to new mothers? Trust in the Lord and Persevere. What is your favorite part of being a mother? Can you give us a specific example? Making memories with my kids. Our trip to Disney world I was trying to a plan for years. This year I was finally able to take my kids ages 21, 17, 9 and my 4-year-old grandson to Disney World. It was a great experience. Another favorite part about being a mom is being there for your kids. I am my kid’s biggest cheerleader! How did you manage juggling the various aspects of motherhood while working and pursuing your doctorate? First, trusting God in the process. Second, make a schedule. I made sure everything was done for my kids first. When they went to sleep, I was able to work on doctorate and get up 5am for work. When my kids need extra help, I would take a break from class until my kids were on the right track. When my kids were ok, I was able to resume my courses. Walk us through your daily schedule. At 5am I wake up, watch mass on tv, and say prayer. At 6am I get ready and make sure my son who is seventeen is heading to the bus stop. At 6: 15am I wake up my youngest daughter for school. At 7:10am I drive my daughter to school. Around 7:45am I wait for my oldest daughter to drop of my grandson. At 8:30 I take my grandson to my adopted parents’ house so I can go to work. From 9:30am-4:30pm I work (furlough February 23rd, 2022). At 4:50pm I pick up my son from baseball practice. At 5:20 I pick up my youngest daughter from school. At 5:45 I prepare dinner. From 6:30-8:30pm I review work with my youngest daughter and spend time with my family At 9:00pm the kids go to bed. From 9pm-11pm, sometimes 12am, I work on my dissertation and currently I prepare for my boards. Doctoral Program What was the most challenging part about starting your doctorate? Coming up with a topic for my dissertation. How did you choose your advisor and/or committee? My school chose our chair and methodologist. I choose my content expert by attending her workshop that related to my topic. What is/was your dissertation topic? How Morphology Instructional Strategies Supports English Learners Vocabulary Development. What is the most difficult part of the dissertation process? Writing chapter three of the proposal of a qualitative study. The method section of the study. If you could do something over, what would it be? Nothing. How did the program impact your relationships (romantic, family, friendships, etc.)? My kids admire me more. It made us closer. I just had to remember to balance family, work, and school. What tips do you have that might make it easier for mothers who are thinking about pursuing their doctorate? Stay focused and don't give up. Listen to your chair but make sure that the chair is doing their job too. Join a positive support group. It will motivate and encourage you. Career Where are you in your career journey? I'm looking to do adjunct work along with supervision level positions. What were your biggest struggles and how was Doctoral Mom Incorporated helpful to you? The biggest struggle was paying for the continuation course to write my doctorate. Doctoral Mom Incorporated gave me a lot of encouragement! Is there anything else you want us to know? Not at the moment. Thank you for doing this!