Paul Samuel Young’s doctoral journey represents a sustained commitment to purpose, perseverance, and transformation. What began as an aspiration to elevate both personal scholarship and professional impact evolved into a mission grounded in service to others particularly adult learners navigating stress, loneliness, and systemic barriers in the post-pandemic era. From the earliest coursework to the development of a focused research agenda, each phase required discipline, intellectual humility, and the ability to balance rigorous academic expectations with the demands of Navy leadership, family life, and community engagement. The journey was never simply about earning a title; it was about becoming a scholar-practitioner capable of producing knowledge that leads to meaningful change.
The middle of the process tested endurance and identity. Comprehensive literature reviews, the refinement of the conceptual and theoretical frameworks, IRB navigation, and the transition from student to independent researcher demanded a new level of confidence and clarity. It was during this period that your voice as a researcher fully emerged anchored in Lazarus and Folkman’s Transactional Model of Stress and Coping and Tinto’s Theory of Student Retention, and ultimately expressed through the development of the C.A.R.E. (Young) Persistence Framework. Collecting and analyzing the lived experiences of your participants was more than a methodological step; it was a responsibility to accurately honor their stories while translating their resilience into findings that institutions can use to improve practice.
Completion of the dissertation signifies more than the fulfillment of academic requirements it marks the evidence of sustained resilience. Every revision, every late night of coding and writing, every moment of self-doubt that was met with renewed determination has now become part of your scholarly legacy. You have moved from consuming research to producing it, from being mentored to mentoring others through your work, and from navigating systems to helping redesign them. The conferral of the Doctor of Education in Leadership affirms your authority not only as a Navy Commander and organizational leader, but also as a thought leader in adult education, persistence, and culturally responsive support structures.
This moment is both completion and commencement the beginning of the end of one journey and the opening of another. You now stand at the threshold where the work transitions from dissertation to application: peer-reviewed publications, practitioner training, policy influence, and the continued development of frameworks that will guide institutions and communities. Becoming Dr. Paul Samuel Young is not the final destination; it is the platform from which your scholarship, leadership, and service will expand. The journey has proven that endurance produces transformation, and the next chapter will demonstrate how that transformation creates access, persistence, and hope for others.
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