A 60's icon, Andy Warhol coined the phrase "15 minutes of fame." Fame comes in various forms; celebrity is one most readily identifiable for Americans. Fame can also be the time you are on the dais, as a speaker, on the medal platform, or to be awarded a prize acknowledging your professional/personal/creative accomplishment.
On March 1, 2012, an article co-written with colleagues, which was accepted last Jan 2011 was released on the internet. I saw the manuscript's proof in Feb. and was informed the journal was scheduled for release in March, its spring issue.
When the March 1st email arrived, after clicking onto the publisher's online site and seeing the electronic version, I felt a certain disbelief that it went live. Though previously, I had pre-ordered hard copies for the Project and Management Team.
The paper was a culmination of a twenty year professional journey. For a host of reasons including not continuing to a Doctorate degree, life happening, and a drive to be a "practitioner", made putting pen to paper as something I secretly carved out to do sometime "in the future."
The right opportunity, along with the right group of people, working on a topic we cared about, and publishing something which showed potential for longer term impact had arrived. After 5 years of implementation, data collection and analysis, and almost a year of writing, a paper was produced.
The first publication has to be the sweetest. It allays one's fears of whether you can do it (the intellectual muscle, the writing skills). For me, it validated waiting for the right opportunity, and at times going against the grain. Both instances, allowed for a fuller sense of people and communities I worked with. And more importantly, now and during the period of writing the manuscript, I finally had time.
Time opened as the project wound down, hence giving me the opportunity to ponder, to read articles, to test out various questions using the data on hand and time to edit.
For those who know me, over the years I've been known to say, I am not cut out for academia (because of its constraints), but I enjoy scholarship. The paper exemplifies this very point, there is no question that the methodology was sound, the findings were significant, the process was beneficial for the team, and the writing was coherent and conclusive.
The "elation" I experienced after seeing the e-version held me aloft for a few days, increasing as I shared with friends about the achievement. Privately, I paid tribute to my Aunt Rose who passed away last year, to whom I dedicated my writing. She was my biggest booster, next to my Mom. She along with my mother plotted and made real the opportunity to immigrate and seek out a better opportunity to give their children a future with possibilities. In a sense, I am an embodiment of an immigrant parent's dream.
I am certain when the paper version comes out, a different reaction may arise.
Though, I've stepped off the podium, my 15 seconds could be extended, since there are three other articles submitted for review. Stay tuned.
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