New Blog Post! 2025 Year in Review - It has been quite a year. Check out the updated About Helen page too! #AcademicSky #ThisDiss
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New Article! This one is EXTRA special, because it’s the first publication from my dissertation research. Hooray! 🎉 🎓 #ThisDiss #AcademicSky #ActuallyAutistic #AutisticsInAcademia
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To be clear, this is the most boring and predictable outcome given what I was doing in 2025. #ThisDiss
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Helen, a white person with short brown hair and glasses wearing a red shirt and holding up a blue bound copy of her dissertation.
Helen holding the bound copy of her dissertation looking shocked and emotional.
I did not expect that holding the bound copy of my dissertation would make me verklempt! This has been an incredible process, and to hold on to the finished product is so fulfilling. #ThisDiss #PhDone
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My dissertation is dedicated to every autistic person who was, is, and ever will be, a change agent and force for their communities. #ThisDiss
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One week until my graduation! My dissertation, A Disability Studies and Critical Autistic Analysis of Peer Mentoring for Autistic Postsecondary Students, comes out of my experience supporting autistic college students across the Chicago area. Today I ordered bound book copies! #ThisDiss
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The post-dissertation anxiety/depression/burnout/exhaustion/feeling all the feelings is real. I am relieved to be done. I am hopeful for what comes next. And my bodymind is in shock. #ThisDiss
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Helen, a tired person with short brown hair and glasses wearing a zigzag blazer and earrings.
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teal folder decorated with many stickers representing Chicago, UIC, disability studies, and autistic community.
It wouldn’t be *my* dissertation defense without stickers to decorate the folder holding my notes. Featuring some faves from @margaretprice.bsky.social, @collegeautism.bsky.social, @projectlets.bsky.social, and more! #ThisDiss #HappierWithStickers
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My slides are ready. My outfit is picked. My suitcase is packed.
PhD Loading! 🎓
#ThisDiss
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A good dissertation is a done dissertation. 🙃
Your girl is ✨nervous.✨
#ThisDiss
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Only 10 days until my dissertation defense!! #ThisDiss #FinalCountdown
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My dissertation defense is in 15 days - surreal. Whenever I think about it for too long I feel sick. 🙃 #ThisDiss
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For some reason, my university does not accept dissertation titles longer than 105 characters, and I am always delighted to know that my title is exactly 105 characters. 😆 Tonight I am starting my defense slides. Only 18 days! #ThisDiss
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Submitted my full dissertation to my committee! 100+ pages, 20,000+ words, 4 years of research, practice, and writing, and my defense is scheduled for February 26! 🎉🎓 #ThisDiss #AlmostDoctorRottier
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I really truly must finish formatting my dissertation so that I can submit to my committee ASAP. Today I did more formatting and editing, plus wrote an abstract for the public announcement. A good dissertation is a done dissertation! #ThisDiss
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Editing is the bane of my existence. 🙃 #ThisDiss
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I’m in the editing and formatting stage of the dissertation, where I fight Microsoft Word. 🥊 #ThisDiss
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“Open the document,” is the best trick I will ever play on myself. When writing or editing seems totally impossible, just open the document. #ThisDiss #AmWriting
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The conclusion I submitted is *rough,* but hopefully some feedback will help me pull it together. The best dissertation is a done dissertation! Onward to revisions! 🎉 #ThisDiss
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Okay, the last hour has been a struggle, in part because tying a bow on the work I’ve been doing since 2019 feels grand and difficult. #ThisDiss
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That’s a chapter submitted!! 🎉 Time for a break, a stretch, and then on to the conclusion. #ThisDiss
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chai latte with milk art and tiramisu
I’m at Leopold’s, I snagged a table, and I have a chai latte and tiramisu. It’s writing time. #ThisDiss
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Today’s the day, folks! I am going to grab lunch and head to my favorite local writing spot, Leopold’s. I will not leave until I have finished the last two chapters or they kick me out. Let’s go! 💪🏻 #ThisDiss
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It’s the final countdown! Words of encouragement are much needed and appreciated. Apparently dissertation draft deadlines awaken all the negative self-talk I thought I had managed through over a decade of therapy. 🙃 #ThisDiss
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It’s dissertation crunch time but also the week in between Christmas and New Year’s, so I’m exclusively writing under my blanket, next to my fireplace, with fancy cheese snacks at regular intervals. #ThisDiss #AcademicSky
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Diss-ember is in full effect. It’s dark and cold, I have no sense of time, yesterday I had a danger nap (taking a nap too late in the day and destroying my sleep/wake schedule), and today I have been procrastination baking because somehow it’s also Christmas?! #ThisDiss
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“A good dissertation is a done dissertation,” whispered fearfully to a document I cannot seem to wrangle. #ThisDiss
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I’ve entered the dissertation stage where I write multiple pages that do nothing to complete the chapter. 🙃 #ThisDiss #AcademicSky
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