Journey to my Doctorate Degree

A Nigerian-South African, Odilile PL Ayodele shares briefly steps toward earning a doctorate degree in a South African University. She is a wife, and mother of two good children, this adds a lively twist to her postgraduate journey.
Article was originaly posted on Sayas Blog.
I have always been interested in how culture and context intersect and affect every part of human interaction. I was born to a South African mother and Nigerian father and learned practical ‘diplomacy 101’ within my extended family.
I am currently finishing up my doctoral studies with the SARChi Chair for African Diplomacy and Foreign Policy at the University of Johannesburg. I am a pilot’s wife and have two small children.
My journey to my doctorate isn’t the most conventional: I earned a Masters degree in International Relations from WITS, I went to work (because that is what was expected from me) then decided to be a stay-at-home mum (not so expected) while I reimagined what I wanted my future to look like. Unlike, many of my colleagues, I undertook the PhD not for prestige, or to begin the arduous journey towards the increasingly elusive tenured position, but rather to redirect my path and gain a new set of skills.
This journey has given me a lot more in my professional and personal life than I could have ever imagined; I am definitely not the same person coming out that I was going in.

2 Replies to “Journey to my Doctorate Degree”

  1. Good day sir, I just finished my master degree in Biostatistics with the CGPA of 3.46 and I am looking for any Nigeria university to do my Mphil in Biostatistics or scholarship outside Nigeria. Thanks

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