Dear friends and colleagues, I would like to share some good news. On July 23, after a long, arduous, but incredibly rewarding journey, I successfully defended my doctoral dissertation, “The Network Architecture of Rural Development Interventions: Exploring the Relational Dynamics of Aid-Impact in the Fragile and Conflict-Affected states of Pakistan and Afghanistan.” And this last Friday I made my final submission for graduation. I received the title of Doctor and finally achieved one of my greatest dreams to become a PhD Scholar. I remain truly humbled and honored. And I recognize this is only the beginning. This could not have been possible without the contributions and support from my Committee.…