“Why do we do what we do?” I remember being 16 when I started to babysit after school for my neighbor Rosemary and her 10-month-old son Ryan at the time. Rosemary had her Ph.D. and was able to work from home consulting for others & was paid for it. This sounded very new and exciting to me as a 10th grader, as my Mom worked but as a nurse and away from the home. A seed was planted. I started thinking, “I want to be a Mom with a Ph.D. and have the ability to work from home.” Here’s my story of the Why behind my What - how & why I earned my Ph.D. … and how I hope it inspires others while having allowed me to become an even better version of myself every step of the way.
My Why Behind My What: The Journey to Becoming Dr. Elizabeth Cook
I remember being 16 when I started to babysit after school for my neighbor Rosemary and her 10-month-old son Ryan at the time. Rosemary had her Ph.D. and was able to work from home consulting for others & was paid for it.
This sounded very new and exciting to me as a 10th grader, as my Mom worked but as a nurse and away from the home.
A seed was planted. I started thinking, “I want to be a Mom with a Ph.D. and have the ability to work from home.”
I moved on to my college life working towards my Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering (EE BS), because I was good at math and physics 🤷🏼♀️ and my Dad told me it would open doors for me. I also began working 30+ hrs/week as a bartender. I look back on those years with great fondness. They taught me a lot of life skills such as responsibility, patience, the key to confidence, and great time management skills.
I had limited time to babysit but I still stayed in close contact with Rosemary and other family including two new babies, Mary Rose and Megan. I will always and forever be grateful for those years.
In my first job out of college with my EE BS degree, I became a power system consultant (i.e., teacher) but I was not working from home. And shortly thereafter, I fell quickly in love with Jason and became a mom at the age of 22 through adopting his daughter, Ali, as my own. After a year of working with my Bachelor’s degree and being a new wife and mother, I still felt the growth of that seed that had been planted years prior and wanted to continue my education.
My amazing boss at the time, John Paserba, encouraged me to do so and, therefore, I applied to the Kansas State University’s online EE Master’s program - one of the first programs of its kind in the nation. I worked on and eventually completed my Master’s degree in 2011 with three new additions in tow, my children Jameson, George, and Maggie.
My babies were always amazing sleepers and I did get plenty of sleep, as sleep is key to how I was able to accomplish all of this. I am an amazing sleeper and get more sleep than you would think as my passion hobby is holistic health - understanding our human development and the importance of our health - mind, body, and spirit.
Again that growth & desire still laid unsettled and it was bursting inside of me to continue my journey towards earning my Ph.D. I also was finding it to be truly valuable to have that “Ph.D.” in the competitive world of “consulting,” and quite frankly I was not done learning and growing - nor do I think I ever will be!
Therefore, I applied to the University of Pittsburgh as a part-time EE Ph.D. student.
The last phase has been long and bumpy... and I have found my desire to serve in the role of “consulting“ turning towards more leadership and teaching. My passion that burns is to connect with people and continue to have the conversation. To do the work to move the world in the right direction, to be the change I want to see in the world.
The last 9 years have been filled with too many joys to recount and only a few tearful breakdowns questioning my why (and maybe my sanity.) On top of everything, we were blessed with two more lovely babies in tow - Aiden and Finley (who is not a great sleeper ) all in one year. However, through it all, I had a wonderful man who believed in me and kept me steady. We pushed through together. I am thankful for Jason for supporting me and never questioning my why because quite frankly I am not sure I could have answered it until now...
I share my story as I am asked a lot about my “why” - what is the why behind my what?
I have never given it much time or thought because I could not put words to it. It was always there - the drive, the inner guide nudging me along, and now I want to plant that seed for others.
It all comes down to that small seed that was planted at a very young age for me. I now know that children are always observing and listening.
I wanted the freedom to work and be a Mom, simple as that. I also found I had a great yearning for information and the excitement that comes with identifying a problem and then solving it.
I was driven by all of the people I have come in contact with and how each one of them I knew was a part of my journey. I am grateful for every smile and exchange I have had.
I have always felt I am right where I am supposed to be. I have had this Inner Guide that has stayed lit and provided me great guidance. I have always had the capacity to stay in touch with it, to stay in the present moment, to trust it, and I was always being guided by love. It allowed me to keep me going even when times were tough and nothing made sense.
I have my Mom and Dad to thank for providing me with this perennial wisdom and a home that allowed me to be seen, instilled confidence in me, taught me to tap into my inner guide, and ultimately believed and supported me in every step.
I wanted to earn my Ph.D. degree and be in a position to ultimately teach and connect and to consult with others while being present at home with my kids... (never could I have imagined the ultimate 2020 shift, though)
And I have to say on October 6th, 2020, I defended my dissertation and was called Dr. Elizabeth Cook for the very first time while sitting in my home and my kids hanging in the background. The uncanniness of it all felt like so much but so small.
The startlingness of the empty space and silence after the Zoom call ended and the chainsaw stopped buzzing (because yes, there was a chainsaw running during my whole presentation and discussion) will be a moment I cherish and ponder - some might say over-think.
I will forever be thankful for the call from Dr. Brandon Grainger shortly after finishing the meeting to tell me that the feeling I was having is what all new doctorates experience. I guess I am in some sort of club now ️.
For the first time in 20+ years, I sit with my “goals” completed and the first seed planted has matured into 100s of others & the pruning must start.
I am overwhelmed but truly excited to see what pathway this place of contentment brings me as I move forward. From my work, I know myself well and my ability to connect and teach will be what moves me forward. I want to plant the seeds for others and give someone that small nudge or push to set their pathway on fire.
I also can not deny the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBG) in the midst of my dissertation prep. And take a moment to hold her in regard and thank her for her service. There is so much to be thankful for in regard to the work and determination of those that have come before me. I will never forget when I went to see RBG the movie alone where I sat and cried the whole time realizing what came before me. The history of only as far back as my mother’s generation and where I was sitting then did and does not fall on naive or ignorant shoulders. I have extreme gratitude and love for all those who worked so hard to allow me to be a Mom that works.
I plan on continuing to be apart of the change and educate others on the impact females can have in the STEAM fields. I also plan to educate and share the importance of understanding our power grid and what we can all do to continue to live in a society where the power grid can and will serve all people, although differently as today. I plan to continue to teach the importance of understanding the “all” as electricity has become the lifeline of our societal contract. It isn’t about the individual parts but as a “system” where all parts matter and must be understood.
The electric power industry is responsible for powering all of our lives and I look forward to changing how we interact and use the largest and oldest machine in the world. We as a society have designed and built a grid over the last 140 years for one-way power flow and in the last few decades and decades to come we are at a tipping point. We are in the process of flipping the model on its head and altering the machine to handle two-way power flow.
This journey is so exciting! And I look forward to working within this amazing industry - the power sector. There is a lot of work to do and I can’t wait to solve the problems together and teach others on how to take part.
I must add as a 16-year old I did not even know or think about our power grid let alone all of our interdependencies... however, here I am! And this is my biggest takeaway...
You never need to know where the path is taking you. You just need to know if your Inner Guide is leading you ... It is not the destination but the journey ...
I do find it slightly unnerving to not have my “goal” to guide me anymore - it creates a vulnerability I have never felt. However, I know I am on a journey & I will continue to be guided as I have always been... I look forward to rumbling with that vulnerability and finding which seeds I will be planting and which ones will grow into the future.
Signing off for the first time,
Dr. Elizabeth Cook
If you want to dive deeper into my journey & learn my top 3 takeaways from my journey to getting my Ph.D… Tune in to today’s podcast episode BELOW:
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