Her doctorate may not have been smooth sailing, but Rosee Hodgson says challenges can bring benefits too.
Otago PhD graduand Rosee Hodgson knows a fair bit about juggling commitments.
Her doctoral research in public health was an eventful journey – marked by the milestones of having two children and coping with the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I felt I grew up with my PhD.”
Rosee, now an Assistant Research Fellow based at the Christchurch campus, graduated in absentia on 17 August. When she started her doctorate, she didn’t expect it to stretch out over seven years, but now she sees the benefits of having found her own way to succeed.
“Although I had constraints, I did work hard. Now, looking back, the time taken seems the least important part.
“Being a PhD student made me a better mum. It was really good to show my children I could do this alongside being a parent.”
Her two sons, now aged five and three, talk about “Mum’s book”, and Rosee believes there were benefits for her research as well as for her family.
“Slowing down my PhD matured my view of my findings.”
Rosee’s interest in public health started while she was studying for a Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science at Otago and was also a volunteer youth worker. That interaction with rangatahi made her realise the range of societal issues that influence young people’s health and wellbeing.
She began to look at how young people, particularly marginalised youth, interact with the cities they live in, and how transport and urban planning can affect their access to education, employment and training, and the wider implications of that.
Her PhD focused on groups of 15 to 24-year-olds in four communities across Christchurch and Auckland who were not in education, jobs or training. This involved intensive work in each community, working with stakeholders such as youth organisations and various marae, to find rangatahi willing to take part in her research.
In a novel approach, almost all the interviews were carried out by peers of the interviewees. Rosee says that brought a different perspective to her research.
“When you know each other there’s a little more candour; you often have a shared struggle.”
These young people were the “antithesis of commuters”, who roads are designed for. For some, the problems were around the practicalities of transport, such as cost, or the uncertainty of how to get somewhere. Others spoke about societal issues, such as experiencing racism on public transport or feeling like they didn’t belong in certain areas of the city.
“Where my PhD landed is that there is a relationship between these young people and society that is mediated by their ability to move around. Mobility is more than just being able to get from A to B. There is a level of power to it, which shaped their sense of inclusion in society.”
Rosee’s research findings have been shared with Auckland Council and Auckland Transport and were part of discussions around the half-price bus fares initiative.
She’s still closely connected to the communities she worked in and is keen to see more positive action, such as the project where rangatahi are working with Environment Canterbury on the Christchurch bus hub design.
In terms of her experience doing a PhD, Rosee is grateful to the excellent supervisors who stuck by her, and for the scholarship support she received from the University.
“I think Otago is growing in its ability to engage with people like me. It’s learning what it looks like to have a woman walk through a PhD while having children.”
Her advice to others is to find the way that works for them.
“There will be times when you feel you’re not doing it as well as everyone else, but actually everyone feels that way.”
– Kōrero by Andrea Jones, Team Leader, Divisional Communications