The author has been working for over four decades in the field of early childhood education (ECE). She is currently entering her fifth year as an early childhood teacher educator with the University of Hawai'i at Manoa (UHM) College of Education. In her role, the author is teaching future professionals in a dual degree program with a preschool through third grade (PK-3) and elementary (K-6) focus and providing professional support to school principals and teachers in the state's public prekindergarten program. Three years ago, the author was excited to be accepted into the second cohort of the UHM College of Education's doctor of education (EdD) in professional educational practice program. On Saturday, July 22, 2017, the author was among twenty-five doctoral candidates who graduated from the EdD program. Feelings of joy and gratitude swept over the author when she heard her name being called and as she walked across the Kennedy Theater stage to be hooded by her dissertation committee members. As the author accepted her diploma from university leaders, it was a surreal moment to be recognized as a doctor! This is a dream that she has had for many years, and it finally became a reality. As the author reflects back over the past three years in this article, some of her personal highlights of this doctoral journey were the people, the content and process, and her dissertation.