Last year, they put “08 DOCS” on their license plate. Yesterday, that title became official.

Pascal and Stacia Barreau, married graduate students at William and Mary, both received doctor of education degrees during the College’s commencement ceremony in William and Mary Hall May 11.

Pascal, an assistant principal at Jamestown High School, earned his doctorate in higher education administration, and Stacia, an assistant principal at Dare Elementary School, earned her degree in special education administration.

The couple met as first-year teachers in Newport News in 1996. Pascal began working on his doctorate in 1999, and Stacia began hers in 2002, the same year that the couple married.

Because of several life changes -- including getting married, buying a house and having a child – Pascal put his doctoral work on hold. Eventually, after getting two extensions, he came to a point where he had to complete the program. Stacia decided to try to graduate around the same time.

“I thought it would be kind of cool for us to graduate in the same year,” said Stacia. “I really didn’t think it would be possible for us to do this like we are doing it.”

With full-time jobs and a new baby, the couple worked together to ensure they both had enough time to finish their doctoral work.

“Basically, we just had a conversation every day about who was working late, who was going to get to stay in the office and get some work done,” said Stacia. “Nobody’s (dissertation) took precedence over the other. We both wanted to get it done, but we wanted the other to finish, too. It was just really about trying to have a good balance and being flexible.”

“There was a lot of tag-teaming,” said Pascal. “If she had a deadline coming up, I’d say okay you take this weekend, and once you get your things in on Tuesday, I’m going to need Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.”

When Stacia told her dissertation committee chair, Brenda Williams, that her husband would be graduating in May 2008, Williams encouraged her to aim for the same time frame, saying, “You don’t want to be holding the baby at (Pascal’s) graduation.”

“That was kind of the impetus to push myself harder than I would have ordinarily because I didn’t want to be holding the baby at graduation,” said Stacia. “I wanted us to kind of delight in this moment together.”

In 2007, in an act of faith and motivation, the couple put “08 DOCS” on their license plate.

“In ’07, we predicted that we both needed to finish and this is going to be it, because we’re not going to give up these tags,” said Pascal.

Finally, in the beginning of April, the pair independently defended their theses. Coincidentally, they did so on the same day, and, because of a last-minute problem with a projector, even in the same room. Stacia defended hers at 9 a.m. and Pascal defended his at 1 p.m.

Stacia said she now jokes Pascal about going before him.

“I was doctor first,” she tells him.

However, the title of “doctor” still sounds a little strange to the pair.

“The whole experience is sort of surreal,” said Pascal. “I’m still getting used to people calling me doctor, and I think she’s getting used to the same thing, too.”

Friends and family helped the Barreaus celebrate their graduation yesterday, and the couple is planning an even bigger party for June. But right now, they are just happy to be spending less time on dissertations and research and more time enjoying their 18-month-old son and relaxing.

“It’s been a wonderful experience,” said Stacia, “but all good things must come to an end and we’re delighted to have it come to an end at the same time for the both of us.”

And as for the license plate, the ’08 docs are going to keep it.

“It’s a good reflection of what’s happened this year, all of the work and effort and the payoff, too,” said Stacia.