Those who know me well, know that I've been a student longer than I've been a working professional. The journey to obtaining my doctorate was a long and crazy one, with emotional ups and downs, but the one aspect of this journey that has helped me hold on to my sanity was the support of my family, friends, school colleagues, and everyone else who contributed in some way for me to realize my dream of lightening the burdens of others. To my parents, I thank you for supporting me emotionally (and financially!) in my academic pursuits; to my loving husband, Piotr, for putting up with the long distance and time apart; to my closest childhood friends, Christine Ku and Maria Shi, for their emotional comfort during times of deep stress; to all faculty and staff at the School of Public Health and Information Sciences who I have gotten to know throughout my time here; and to my partners in crime at UofL, Chisom Odoh and Colette Davis, for their friendship and emotional support while trying to finish the doctoral program. And finally, to my fantastic dissertation committee members: Drs. Richard Baumgartner, Martin Hall, Nicholas Peiper, Kira Taylor, and Anne Wallis, thank you all for giving me your time, energy, and expertise in making this dissertation a reality.
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