Sunday, May 11, 2014

Philly in May

Last week was great.  I was able to take off from work to fly up to Philadelphia with Callie for her graduation.  We arrived late Tuesday night, giving her a chance to put the finishing touches on her presentation for that evening before we ran errands.
I am not a fan of driving in unfamiliar, big cities, but with Callie as my navigator (and a lot help from Google Maps), we zipped here and there like old pros (only cut off one car by changing lanes at the last minute as far as I know---okay, maybe two).  We picked up her cap and gown and walked around the campus of Eastern University.  
What a pretty place, with ponds, old buildings, flowers and even Canada Geese roaming about freely.
Her favorite spot on campus is the chapel, and I can certainly see why.
Tiny and intimate and beautiful!
Just look at the ceilings in the foyer!
After lunch, she took me to visit some of the places she'd called "home" when visiting Philly over the last two years.  Her degree is a Master's in Urban Studies, with an emphasis on Community Transformation through the Arts, so rather than studying at the main campus, their concentration worked out of the urban Philadelphia area at the Build-A-Bridge House.  (the Build-A-Bridge Institute is the group she traveled to Bolivia with--a really neat organization.  In fact, I think you'll even see her picture on the website right now.)
We visited Chamonix, the hostel where she generally stays, along with a few of the other students.
That evening, after changing clothes, we attended the Thesis Presentation Program.  Everyone was nervous and eager for that portion of the experience to be over, but I was in awe of the projects and the depth of knowledge filling the room.
It made me want to learn more . . . do more . . . grow more.
It was so nice to be able to meet the friends that she has made
and the professors that she has has gotten to know so well.
As all of the other students presented summaries of their projects, an extra-special surprise was awaiting Callie (she actually knew, but didn't tell me).  Callie was awarded the Outstanding Thesis Award!!   That meant that she was able to present her project more thoroughly, along with the powerpoint presentation she'd prepared, complete with an audience activity.

On the way home, we stopped at the grocery store for snacks and couldn't resist posing with this sign. After all, it seemed to be made especially for her!
It was a great night and I'm so happy that I was able to share it with her.







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JJB said...

So proud of our Callie girl! What a fun way to celebrate this accomplishment! BTW... your photos are stunning!

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