Ten years ago I arrived in Loma Linda, California and attempted to meet the three other naïve souls in my MD/PhD program, only to discover every last one of them was cool enough to have homes outside of the United States. Today, the final member of our tetrad crossed the stage to receive her second […]
I collected the invitations To events I had missed: Weddings, showers, parties All unattended, reply cards unsent. Their photos covered my wall.
Graduation. An event that had been so far off for so long, my dazed mind refused to believe it could actually be happening. And yet, here it was, a weekend of visitors and ceremonies and celebrations swirling around me in a blur of regalia and purple orchid leis. As with everything else in this eight-year […]
When last I wrote, I had successfully presented my PhD thesis proposal and was celebrating that the progress bar of my ridiculously ill-conceived plan for post-graduate education had reached the neighborhood of 25%. Now, a short while a long while over five years later, readers may be surprised to find out that several events have transpired in the […]
PhD Thesis Defense presented by Michael A. Castello on Friday, September 5, 2014.
Loma Linda University Monday Seminar presentation, February 11, 2013. Also available on Prezi or for download.
I will start with the best part: Friday, I presented my thesis proposal––and passed! I’ve spent the rest of the weekend being ecstatic. Typically, the response from others follows a somewhat less enthusiastic motif. “Wow, that’s great…what does it mean? Do you start med school now?” No, I’m not going to start med school anytime […]
Yesterday I presented and defended my PhD thesis. Spoiler: I passed! I’m now a PhD candidate, meaning that the only thing standing between me and my first doctorate…is more than a year of dedicated research. It’s kind of a big deal, as they say, so I’m going to allow a bit of self-satisfaction. A big […]