Parker, dressed in a long, red dress with a crown on her head, was getting ready for more than just a day of work at Winstar Communications Dec. 22. After four years studying business at GW, Parker was finally handing in her last project to complete her Master of Business Administration degree.

As the traffic came to a stop at 22nd and G streets, Tanaia and her husband, Lloyd Parker Jr., stepped out of a white Mercedes stretch limousine to meet professor Charles Toftoy. As she handed in her final assignment – an independent study for a business plan she hopes to pursue – students gathered to watch the excitement.

Toftoy, who was at the Smith Center for a women’s basketball game,
contacted Parker by cell phone and knew she was arriving in a limousine to hand in her final project. Toftoy said he asked some of his students to notify him when Parker arrived.

Toftoy said students stood in awe of the production as the couple returned to their limousine.

“One particular young woman undergraduate student had tears in her eyes as she watched Tanaia,” he said.

Although she planned to get dressed up for the big day, Parker said her husband surprised her with the luxurious ride. After dropping by GW, the couple drove to their parents’ houses, where Parker received white roses.

“For each white rose my family gave me, Lloyd gave me an additional red rose,” Parker said. Parker attended American University as an undergraduate and entered GW’s graduate program in January 1997.

Parker’s husband also graduated from GW. He received a master’s degree in telecommunications and computer science in 1998.

She works as the senior manager of project management at Winstar Communications, and said she hopes to pursue her proposed project in consulting.

While some students envision the completion of graduate school as a day filled with happiness and parties, Parker said she never expected the day she had.