Kirkpatricks Move to Scotland

The short version of this story is that I, Haley, got into my dream PhD program at The University of St Andrews in St Andrews, Scotland. Now we, Scott, myself, our three boys, Hollis, Thomas, and David, and their dog Poa are all moving to Scotland. While there I will write and defend my doctoral thesis (currently titled “Humankind’s Vice Regency: Reading Genesis 1-3 with Deuteronomy 17:14-20”). Scott will work on a links course, care for the boys, ensure that I am never without tea and laughter, and finally fulfill his dream of playing golf in the home of golf. The boys will go to primary and nursery school and (hopefully!) develop adorable Scottish accents and start calling me, “Mum.”

International moves are expensive. There are visa fees, fees for healthcare, and plane tickets, all on top of tuition (which is being paid out of pocket rather than through loans) and living expenses. Your donation will help pay for things like healthcare ($15,000 for our whole family for four years of coverage on the NHS), visa fees ($2,500 for all five visas), plane tickets, and rent (landlords can ask for up to six months rent upfront from students).

There is a longer version of this story that starts back in 2002 when I first attended The University if St Andrews for my junior year abroad. I fell in love with St Andrews and with Scotland, and I nannied for a family while the mother worked on her PhD Divinity. I didn’t consider The Academy as my vocational destination then, but the experience had a lasting impression on me.

Years later, a month into seminary, I realized what I wanted more than anything was to teach at the university level—more specifically I wanted to teach Old Testament and Hebrew. Since then I have pursued that dream. I took every opportunity I could to teach, tutor, and TA in seminary. I continued tutoring and TAing after graduating with my MDiv TS—an MDiv focused on preparing students for doctoral programs and university level teaching.

I was a bit worried in the fall of 2013 that after relentlessly pursuing this dream of teaching, my dream might be derailed, and all because of a guy. That guy was someone I met on a blind date, his name is Scott Kirkpatrick. After learning of my dreams of getting a PhD and teaching he later, and oh so casually, informed me that he had no problem moving wherever I (and we) might need to move so I could earn my PhD. He even said something along the lines of, “You know I think The University of St Andrews has a divinity PhD.” He then proceeded to inform me that the reason he got the degree he did (a BS in Turfgrass management) was because there were golf courses all over the world and he could get a job wherever his family needed to be. SWOON!

Here we are, almost eight years after meeting Scott, seven years after learning he would go wherever I wanted to pursue a PhD, and 19 years after first setting foot in Scotland. We have a good chunk of our expenses saved up, but the travel expenses and fees are making it difficult to make our family’s dream a reality. Thank you for contributing to our dream.