People

Meet Dr Matshoba-Ramuedzisi, 1st Black Woman to Complete a PhD in Her Field

Thursday, May 27, 2021 at 2:56 PM by Naomi Kobbie

- Dr Matshoba-Ramuedzizi has just become the first black woman to receive a PhD in Leadership from the University of Pretoria

- Although the working mom experienced some serious guilt for taking time away from her family, she's thanked her husband for holding it down at home

- The humble student says she's sure other brave souls are soon to follow in her footsteps

PAY ATTENTION: Click “See First” under the “Following” tab to see Briefly.co.za News on your News Feed!

Dr Matshoba-Ramuedzisi has certainly shut down all the nay-sayers, becoming the first-ever black woman to obtain her PhD in Leadership from the University of Pretoria.

Meet Dr Matshoba-Ramuedzisi, the First Black Woman to Complete a PhD in Her Field — This Doctor has just bagged her PhD in Leadership. Images: UGC
Source: UGC

The choice to go back to school can be a difficult one, especially when so many other responsibilities seem to take precedence.

However, a Pretoria woman is shutting down all the 'nos' that might have come her way, choosing to go back to school and complete her PhD despite having a full-time career and family to take care of.

Read also

Precious Motsepe: Billionaire Patrice's wife made many sacrifices for the sake of his success

Dr Matshoba-Ramuedzisi has credited her family for their love and encouragement, helping her make the brave choice to go back to school after almost 12 years out of the game.

“It just took a few years, as well as some very powerful motivation from my husband, Denga, for me to find the courage to finally go for it,” she says.

The graduate, like most working women, experienced a sense of mom guilt in the pursuit of her dreams. She's thanked her husband for being twice the parent while the determined mom juggled her studies and motherhood.

"I was also affected by ‘mom guilt’, the feeling that the PhD was taking time away from my children. I felt bad about that, but Denga really assisted in this regard by doubling up his parent time to make up for my half.” she said.

Asked what she thought about becoming the first black woman to receive a PhD in Leadership from the institution, the humble doctor made little of it, sounding sure many more bright women would soon follow.

Read also

Teenage girl set to graduate from high school and collage in same month

PAY ATTENTION: Never miss breaking news – join Briefly News' Telegram channel

Meanwhile, Briefly News previously reported that making the tough decision to continue studying despite life's pressures is not one that can be taken lightly. A beautiful young woman has first-hand experience about how difficult it was after she made the decision to pursue her Honours degree despite being full-time employed.

"When I registered for my 2nd Honours degree with UNISA, I was working in Madagascar, a 12-hour shift 6 days a week. I knew it wasn't going to be easy but I was determined. 5 months down the line I was retrenched, I had no motivation left in me.

"However giving up was not an option, and I'm glad I persevered. BA (Psychology), BA honours in (Counselling Psychology), BCom Honours (Industrial and Organisational Psychology) - KARABO MASHIFANE," the post was captioned.