In the hustle and bustle of daily life, we don't often stop to appreciate the path that led to this point in life. As the 2019 winner of the IEEE Fred Nathanson Memorial Radar Award, I'd like to take this opportunity to reflect on my own path and be thankful.

First, I thank the Radar Systems Panel Awards Committee for recognizing my contributions among many deserving nominees. I also thank the many mentors, colleagues, and friends that I've made at the IEEE Radar Conference over the last decade. As a student, I never attended an IEEE conference, so I was delighted as a faculty member to receive your support and inclusion. The IEEE Radar Conference quickly became my technical home, and I look forward to attending each year. Along with birthdays and other life events, it is now an annual milestone by which I mark time.

But, how did I get to this point in my career? Well, a lot of hard work and luck. I come from a family of engineers, but my mother (a housewife) especially encouraged my education. Perhaps, a little too much, she joked, when it seemed I would never stop going to school! During my undergraduate studies at Wright State University, I held several internships, including a summer at Bell Labs, which motivated me to go on to graduate school. Grad school at The Ohio State University was difficult, but I learned how to be an independent researcher and how to formulate a good technical publication. After graduation, I kept with academics, as a faculty member at the Air Force Institute of Technology, where I will soon celebrate 10 years of service.

Each opportunity has been a blessing and a challenge, and I am grateful for each and every one. I thank professors, staff, students, family, and friends for their support along the way. I especially thank my husband and children for their love and support--I am a better engineer, wife, and mother because of you. Despite the long hours, I truly enjoy tackling unique research and educating future radar engineers. I look forward to many more years of continuing collaborations and building better technology through better science.