This week my family has been in town for my graduation.
Today I received my Masters degree from the University of Washington.
I have spent the last two years working towards a MA in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). Now I can teach ESL classes at community colleges or English abroad. But those jobs are either far away or unstable–and I have another idea up my sleeve.
I love school. Every weekend I shoot weddings and I am in love with photography and cinematography. But Monday (or Tuesday) morning I head to class and I am excited by ideas. My interest in people & politics sent me on a journey through the Peace Corps, grad school in Hungary and now to the University of Washington. And it isn’t going to end with a MA in TESOL. Instead, I am continuing on–fully funded–to the PhD program in language and rhetoric. I don’t yet know exactly what I will research and write a dissertation on: maybe social media and rhetoric, maybe the use of Russian and Ukrainian in contemporary Ukraine. Maybe something on bilingualism and the American Dream. I don’t yet know, but I have time to figure it out. I also have to figure out what I will be teaching the poor freshman at UW!!
But back to the title of this post: Risk & Hope. Some days I am scared–scared of living through another winter on a student’s budget. Scared that I don’t know what I want to study and maybe I’m going to school for THREE.MORE.YEARS! and I still won’t know what I want to be when I grow up. I am scared that I can’t juggle business and school as the stakes get higher. But along with all of this fear is a whole lot of HOPE! All the doubt was set aside the moment I got my funding letter for the TA-ship. The pure joy and excitement that led me to run so fast from the mailbox to our front door that I couldn’t get the words out. I am reaching my dream!
I guess I could say that I’ve always been good at following my heart: after growing up in Montana, I ran to the coast for college. I studied abroad in Wales for a year. After graduating from the University of Puget Sound, I moved to Florida for the summer with a friend and then left for the Peace Corps when Autumn came. In the Peace Corps I taught English, I traveled, and I found love. And I dragged my love across the world to live out his dream. With a law degree and 10 years of police experience behind him, Alex made a new start as an immigrant following his heart and his talent. The result is Zinchuk Studios. After just 4 years we have this amazing business and so many new friends.
I took a big risk to marry a foreigner for love and drag him across the world, and yet Alex has been so supportive of me in return. Even though our business was only in its second year, he let me return to school on only a Teaching Assistant’s budget. We moved from apartment to apartment looking for a balance of size and affordable rent because I am in school. I left a solid job to achieve my dream, and yet with our mutual support we are both finding success. It is scary for both of us to take the risk to achieve our dreams at the same time, but we are risking, hoping, dreaming . . . together!
I write this post both to celebrate but also to remind myself when times get tough–as they will. When I’m not sure how to juggle another wedding with finals. How to find time to design albums and grade papers. Each day we work hard, we take risks, and we hope and we dream! Thank you to all of our friends, family, and anonymous supporters out there!! We couldn’t live this life or be this happy if not for each of you!
~Jennifer
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