Woman Graduate With PhD Degree While Raising 5 Children
Mother of five children, Lucy Hardie, has graduated with a doctorate degree from the University of Auckland, New Zealand.
Nnenna Orji 
A mother of five children, Lucy Hardie, has graduated with a doctorate degree based on vaping research from the University of Auckland, New Zealand. Hardie has earlier acquired a bachelor of health sciences and a master's of public health.
Her teenage children are Benjamin, 17, Amelia, 13, Sebastian, 19, Oliver, 16, and Leon, 14.
Lucy Hardie’s research, in the School of Population Health, is on the way vaping is marketed to young people, a topic with real-life implications for her family. Lucy’s research has led to policy changes, with cartoon advertising of vapes banned, as well as an appearance on TVNZ’s Sunday. The excited mother said she enjoyed studying to develop skills in organisation, analysis and critical thinking.
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Speaking on her achievement, she said: “I've gained the theoretical knowledge of these issues, but my children gave me a lot of input and on-the-ground knowledge of what it's really like.
“It gave me intellectual stimulation and something to really focus on and counter the thousands of loads of laundry and dirty dishes. And a real sense of accomplishment.”
“My topic around vaping is a social justice issue, which has also been positive to show the children the importance of working towards something you feel will hopefully make a difference.”
Lucy worked part-time as a graduate teaching fellow in the School of Population Health up to her final year of research. As someone who tends towards optimism, Lucy sees the benefits of having to make the most of small chunks of time for study.
In her words “In a busy household with children, there's so much that's unpredictable. I felt like, when I got time to sit at my desk, it made me work more effectively.
“Also, the nice thing about having the kids is sometimes they force you to do something else. And when you're dropping someone somewhere or making dinner, then you come back to your work and see it with a fresh perspective.”
Hardie said another advantage is showing her children that she could invest herself in other things. Her advice to others juggling study with parenthood or busy lives is to break tasks down into small pieces.
