She Is My Favorite

I know Esperanza Spalding has been the subject of a post before but she's going to be on a rerun of David Letterman tomorrow night and I just love this song and her music!!

She will be a Grammy nominee/winner. You heard it here first.

Her performance starts at 20 seconds and ends just around 4 minutes. This song will carry you away. Enjoy ~

Congratulations . . . (Part Three)

Scroll down for parts One and Two of Liz interviewing Tevita . . .This is part three.

Liz: So I noticed there were a lot, I mean A LOT of tears at your graduation from almost everyone in attendance! Were there any specific times of the weekend you remember getting emotional about and do you feel like sharing?

Ti: I think the most emotional I got was when we (PhD graduates) were walking into the stadium. I could feel Grandpa's presence and I just started balling because I knew 30 years of his work had finally come to fruition. Grandpa had been involved in my education from when I was 7 years old and I knew he was there and was proud of me. He was able to finally see me graduate with a PhD.




Ti: The 2nd time I got really emotional was after the graduation when you came down from the stands and you and I hugged. They were playing, "I can see clearly now" and we were both just crying. We were crying because while everyone was proud of me, only you and I knew what I went through to get to this point.

Ti: And I would say the last emotional experience I had was when there was the standing ovation for me.

Liz: Ah, yes. That was awesome. Just to give the readers (and our posterity) some context, the Anthropology Department had a dept. graduation the Friday night before the University ceremony. At that Friday ceremony, the advisers of the Master and PhD graduates gave a summary of the research done by students. Your advisor, Mimi Kahn, talked about your work and accomplishment.
Why did you get that standing ovation?

Ti: Because Mimi let the audience know that I was the first Tongan-American to get a PhD in Anthropology. I noticed that my professors were the first to stand and I think they did so because they knew how hard it is to get this kind of degree and I think also because they were proud that they were able to be part of producing this "first".

Liz: And a first you are. America's first Tongan Anthropologist, ICS's first Polynesian professor, and my first love.

Stay tuned for the final installment of Congratulations Dr. Ka'ili!

CONGRATULATIONS DR. KA'ILI!!! (Part Two)

Don't forget to read Part One of my interview with Tevita!

L: So Ti, your graduation weekend was crazy fun, wouldn't you say?
T: Definitely. I'm so so glad I went.
L: Me too. What would you say was your favorite part of the graduation?
T: There were several favorites actually. One was when my Aunties wrapped traditional Tongan mats around me before the department graduation ceremony and I got to wear them for my hooding.

They brought several mats from Salt Lake City and while they were in Tonga a couple of months ago, they had royal leis made especially for this occasion.
L: Oh yes, I must say, your hunkieness wearing fused Western and Pasifik regalia had my stomach all a flutter. You looked great.

T: Thanks Liz. I felt great wrapped in the tradition of my forefathers combined with my own doctoral robes. It meant something to wear the symbols that honor the past as well as my present experience.

The other favorite part was when I got hooded by the Chair of my committee, Mimi Kahn.
Wow, come to think of it, all those directly involved in making my graduation possible were women. You, my Aunties, and Mimi.
L: Are you just saying that because your wife is a big fat feminist?
T: Totally.
L: HA HA HA
T: Seriously though, I just realized now, that I've done so well in academia because of all the strong, smart women in my life.
L: True dat, Tevita. Truuue dat.
To Be Continued