Labors of love nearly coincide

Barragree delivers her dissertation, then baby boy

 

Before defending her doctoral dissertation this spring, a very pregnant Cari Barragree joked with her adviser that the relief of having made it this far would probably put her into labor.

The next day, she started having contractions.

Barragree's bouncing baby boy, Dean Morrison Barragree II, was born just shy of 48 hours after she successfully defended her dissertation, earning a doctorate in educational administration and leadership from K-State.

"Well, my husband and I always said we'd like to have our education done before we had kids," Barragree said.

For the last few years, Barragree has been working full-time as director of K-State at Salina's Upward Bound, a federal program that helps prepare low income, at-risk students for college. She's also been working toward her doctorate.

"It was my personal mission to achieve better, do better for my family," she said, noting that she comes from a family without any other college graduates.

When her husband, Russ Barragree, started his master's degree, she said it seemed an opportune time to go back to school, "so that while he was studying, I was studying."

That meant working full-time -- sometimes 15-hour days -- and carrying a full load of classes at K-State's Manhattan campus. Although she was able to take some classes online, a majority of her work required frequent commutes to Manhattan, as well as research trips to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Mo. Barragree's doctoral work focused on creating a standards-based high school social studies curriculum about the United States Negro Leagues from the 1880s to the 1960s.

Luckily, Barragree said, "I've always been an energetic person."

Little did she know that Dean would be coming along at the end of that two-year journey.

Typically, Barragree's summers have been spent wrangling college-bound teens during Upward Bound's summer program.

This summer, however, she's been able to take a break -- sort of.

"Being a new mom is harder than taking your doctoral coursework," she said. "The learning curve is much steeper."
But, Barragree said, she's been blessed with an easy baby.

"He's just so laid back," she said. "He just kind of goes with the flow."

Barragree said before receiving her doctorate that she asked herself just what she would do with all the free time she would have.

"Well, now I know," she said.

Barragree's dissertation, "Museum and Public School Partnerships: A Step-By-Step Guide For Creating Standards-Based Curriculum Materials in High School Social Studies," earned her a doctorate of education in educational administration and leadership. In front of her son and other family, she received the honor during the Graduate School's commencement May 11.

 

Photo: Carrie Barragree, Upward Bound director at K-State at Salina, and her husband, Russ Barragree, welcomed their son about 48 hours after Carrie Barragree defended her doctoral dissertation. (Photo courtesy of Monarch Portraits).