Mark's Debut

Yesterday afternoon, Mark made quite an impression on the Hopkins English department, and on me as well. Dressed smartly in his fawn colored wool sports jacket and a baby blue tie, Mark gave a handsome delivery of the second chapter of his dissertation, also known as his "job talk." Each graduate student is required to give a "job talk" to the department just prior to his/her entry into the job market. The idea is that the graduate candidate will have the opportunity to practice presenting a paper and then be grilled by his/her own colleagues and professors in order to prepare for upcoming interviews and real job talks--the kind that might result in acquiring a job--at hiring institutions. This tends to be a very nerve-racking experience as the Hopkins English department is known to be very exacting of speakers in the question & answer session, not to mention that it is the first time graduate candidates have the opportunity to own the podium for such a formal occasion.

The paper was, in fact, received warmly. Mark gave a great performance from the podium , and I must admit, I spent the duration of the presentation wearing a silly grin on my face out of sheer pride.

We celebrated after the occasion with a fire-side beer & burger at our favorite neighborhood pub (Dizzie Issies) and a night filled with good company.

I am one proud girl.