What does it really mean to earn a PhD? Soyun Ahn, Essence Wilson and Nicole Bush reflect on the personal and intellectual journeys behind their dissertations — spanning digital mapping, mental health interventions for Black teens and care-based activism. Through their stories, they reveal the intellectual courage, emotional resilience and community support that define the PhD experience at USC Annenberg. This is a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to create new knowledge at the leading edge of communication and social change.