Countdown to PhD Graduation 2026...

 

Source: Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuirangi website 

I'm counting down to my PhD graduation with just 9 more sleeps to go. It is over two days, with the first day of registering, attending the pōwhiri or Māori welcoming ceremony with my family and then ensuring that I have all the vouchers, etc. for the following graduation day.

This is a dream come true as I had planned it in my 20s, and here I am finally at the end of this journey and ready to begin another.

My family will be travelling with me to Whakatane, hopefully all three generations of us, with my mum, if she's up to it as she and my late dad were an important part of my academic, spiritual and cultural journey to bring me to this point.

I'm also so happy that my children can attend from their busy lives and pause with me for a couple of days to celebrate with me, to thank our Atua (God) and to enjoy time together as a family. My eldest helped to book an Airbnb as I had already booked a hotel close to the venue, but she wanted it to be in a special space where we could be together as a family, so I happily changed plans.

It's also special because I'm graduating from an Indigenous tertiary institution, as Te Whare Wānanga o Aotearoa, which was very important for me to align with, as my thesis is about indigenous Samoan knowledge from my diaspora SamoaNZ perspective.

It's also a little daunting in knowing the journey that I've been on and the beautiful gems that I received along the way in many different forms. My only missing person is my late father. I know he would have been very proud, and I will be taking him in my heart with me as I dedicated my thesis especially to my parents who were there from my very beginnings...