I completed my third year in the Communications and Media Studies Ph.D. at the University of Oregon. That means I needed to commit to a topic and prepare a plan for my dissertation. I presented, and my committee approved my prospectus, “What’s right in what we write? Examining the metalinguistic norms, language ideologies, and writing practices of the public relations industry.” That means I am officially a Ph.D. candidate (something I never thought I’d say) and ABD (“All But Dissertation”).
It has been a wild ride getting to this place, and I have learned a lot about myself and the field of public relations. I’ve learned the good and the bad of my uncompromising passion for challenging practitioners and the field to deepen its understanding of professional responsibility. I have experienced great excitement when finding research to support me and extreme frustration with the limited options for this. I am fortunate to have been introduced to approaches from sociolinguistics and technical and professional communications (TPC) that have helped me better articulate the change I want to see.
As I reflect on my journey, I laugh at just how much this dissertation is something I was certain I would never want to write. During my MA, I listened to PhD students talk about teaching writing, and all I could imagine was confusion about how I’d balance my personal style/preferences with helping students develop their own. I still have not resolved this for myself, but I am taking this opportunity to explore these questions further.
Sandra Boone 
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