This concluding section of the portfolio begins with a vignette of my evolution as a researcher and student. I came to the Ph.D. program as a purist. I argued strongly in favour of the positivist worldview and quantitative methodologies. But through my Ph.D. journey, I now have a liberal and pragmatic disposition towards research. Clandinin said knowledge is embedded in culture and is better understood when researchers honour "lived experience as a source of important knowledge and understanding" (Clandinin, 2016, p. 15). In other words, knowledge is in the culture and experiences of people. It is in the stories they tell, the poems they recite, their biography, documents shared or left behind, and the memories in the photos and videos they take. I now argue that research can say much more than what quantitative methodologies and numbers tell us. I understand that fantasizing with numbers could make important information fall through the cracks.

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In the Theseus paradox about identity and growth, Borrow and Wood (2006) ask that, after all the wooden planks of Theseus ship were changed through many repairs over the long voyage, can we still say it is the same ship originally set sail? I contend that it is the same ship but different. The ship's frame and structure are the same, but the sailors have given it a new look and made it stronger. When they changed the rotten planks, they may have protected the ship from further rot or sinking by taring, painting, and applying varnish to waterproof it. I see my growth and identity as a Ph.D. student the same way. I am the same person, I now have a liberal and pragmatic disposition to research, and I am being made stronger. I have strengthened my academic writing, professional and instructional competencies, theory knowledge, and research identity from humble beginnings. I have improved my writing skills, literature review, knowledge creation, communication, and teaching. These competencies, I believe, are demonstrated in my six artifacts. I am grateful to Dr. Ronald MacDonald, Dr. Kathy Snow, and Ashley Clark, whose guidance continues to make my journey enjoyable and fulfilling.