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Blossoming as a Scholar (poem)

4/16/2017

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"Scholars are those unique individuals with curious minds who seek for knowledge and truth, loving hearts for the humanity, and whose inks and words are often sharper than the sharpest swords to dissect right from wrong". 

Blossoming as a Scholar 

The attribute of a scholarship 
In the academic pursuit 
Truly a long and a difficult one 

The process of reading, writing, thinking, and analyzing 
It is somehow much more challenging than I ever could imagine 
What is the meaning of a scholarship that it worth such sacrifice? 

In the process of struggling of finding research questions
In the process of reading endless of literature
In the process of collecting data
In the process of writing academic papers
Finally, in the process of wrapping up the thesis
I struggled, cried, felt frustrated, and 
worked really hard to motivate myself every single day 

Pile after pile of documents at my office table
Countless of journal articles have been printed and read
Countless of papers have been revised 
Furthermore, 
Countless of people asking me: When will you graduate? 

In this painful and seemingly endless process of being trained 
Learning the baby step of how to write with precision 
Not bringing in any speculation 
Writing with evidence and not simply voicing a mere opinion 

The confidence, smile, and timely feedback, and support from my professor,
Nirmala Rao worth more than silvers. 
The unconditional love and encouragement from my parents, 
Mr. Susanto and Mrs. Suzy W. Iwan, is worth more than gold; and
The patience, understanding, and love from my caring husband, 
Mr. Kenneth K.Y. Poon is worth more than expensive diamond. 

What is the value of a Ph.D. degree? I often asked myself...
Is it only another label for a mere societal praise? 
Never shall be the case? 

Now that I have experience that a Ph.D. is a training to be a scholar 
Whose words shall be count trust-worthy 
Whose actions shall follow with integrity, and
Whose works shall benefit the society..

A four year well-spent journey 
I have been transformed in becoming a scholar 
from egg, larva, pupa, into a butterfly 
In this scholarship journey. 

Praise be to the Holy Trinity for such an 
Amazing Journey: It is PRECIOUS 

                                                                                                     Ailin Iwan Poon, Ph.D 
                                                                                        A Scholar by training and a Poet at Heart 
                                                                                        This poem was written on March 5, 2016
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    Ailin Iwan

    "Ailin" has multiple meanings, however, my parents told me that it means "Bright" and the etymology of the word is from Greek. Ailin Iwan is on a quest to live a meaningful and fruitful life of continuous learning while sharing what she learns to better oneself and others. 

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