I have officially and successfully defended my dissertation!

Please call me Dr. A!

I’m EXCITED (and relieved!) to share that I passed my final dissertation defense and am now Dr. Jeni Al Bahrani!

My dissertation explored how entrepreneurship students perceive their own workforce readiness and how this aligns with what employers actually value in new hires. Spoiler: there’s more overlap than people think... and also some surprising perception gaps that leave opportunity for future work.

Endless gratitude to my incredible committee: Dr. LaVette Burnette, Dr. Tori Vogelgesang, and Dr. Rodney D’Souza. Your guidance challenged me, sharpened my thinking, and kept me grounded in the values of action research that I care most about.

To everyone who showed up for me today, thank you. Your presence meant everything. I’ll be celebrating tonight at my favorite, Mitas, with all the vegan food, and I'll be sharing more soon!

Thanks for reading,

Dr. A