Ending the year with reflection and gratitude

Like many of you, this is the time of year when I take time for reflection and gratitude. Reflection and gratitude are two of my core values because they help me build better connections with the people in my personal and work life and improve my relationships. Each year, I reflect back on my experiences and think about how I could have done better. I also take the time to express gratitude and appreciation for the people around me throughout the year—that includes appreciation for yourself and what you can do.

Here are my reflections and gratitude for this year:

I want to first thank all of the veterans and first responders for their service to this country, for the hard work you do and the sacrifices you make. Your courage and commitment to keeping this country safe, healthy and free are applauded.

Next, I want to reflect and give thanks to all of the graduate students at ASU. I reflect on the time I spent working and planning with graduate students and teaching my geodesign class. I am also grateful for the time students have taken to let me know how they’re doing in their programs—the good, the challenging and the really difficult. You are doing incredible work and I truly enjoy learning about what you do and what is going on in your lives.

I am deeply grateful to the Graduate College staff, who work hard to make sure that new degrees are being created, that students are moving through their degree programs and that we are able to provide so many professional development events and activities to support student progress. Everyday, they keep the trains running and support the ASU graduate community with professionalism and care.

And finally, I want to express my gratitude for my family and friends. We are experiencing some challenging times right now (like many of your families and friends) with some significant health issues, extreme loss and personal challenges. Despite this, my family and friends are strong and the care and concern they show for one another keeps us going. I know that we will all get through these hard times.

No one goes through life alone—so I thank all of you who are reading this and want you to know that you are appreciated.