CPUT Media Lecturer Who Bagged PhD at UCT in 2022 Shares How She Balances Mothering 3 Little Boys With Work
- A media lecturer and academic at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) has reflected on juggling her career with parenthood
- In 2022, Sisanda Nkoala obtained her PhD in Rhetoric Studies from UCT while balancing being a mom, wife, lecturer, and budding academic
- Talking to Briefly News, the supermom argues that while there is often a desire to attract women to academia, there are rarely policies in place to accommodate them
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A strong mother residing in Cape Town is grinding hard to balance her career as a media lecturer at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) with raising three boys.
Source: UGC
Sisanda Nkoala wears many hats. She is a mom, a wife, an academic, and a lecturer who mentors other young women who aspire to be journalists and researchers.
Briefly News previously reported on the supermom bagging her PhD in Rhetoric Studies from the University of Cape Town (UCT) in 2022.
Now, in a follow-up discussion, the 36-year-old reflects on some of the biggest challenges she faces while balancing her career and family life.
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The UCT graduate believes the field of academia is not always accommodating to moms
Despite being a determined and resilient mother, Sisanda explains that raising a young family while building her career is a challenge:
“I think the biggest challenges are that, within academia, even though there is a desire to attract more women and more black women, there are no policies in place that make that process as easy as it could be.
“For example, for conferences, there are no policies on childcare, which would assist with balance.
“Maternity policies are not really attuned to the needs of mothers with young children.”
With her extended family scattered away from Cape Town, the media lecturer notes that she appreciates the support she receives from her hubby, Fusi Nkoala.
The CPUT lecturer discusses the deep-rooted challenges women face in academia
Sisanda believes that the struggles women face in academia are more systemic than anything else, with the field rarely accommodating women and mothers with young kids.
But despite the hurdles the parent is faced with, she notes that she still has a genuine love for her job:
“[What keeps me going] is the utter conviction that my work can make a difference.
“I believe that through the kind of research that I do, the kind of teaching that I do, and the kind of community engagement I do, I can make things better in the world for the next generation.”
Sisanda loves mentoring the journalists of the future:
“Through teaching, for example, I have an immense privilege to train the next cohort of journalists.
“These are people who will be the nation’s storytellers and will shape the discourse that we use to talk about ourselves as South Africans.
“Seeing their growth from [their] first year [of study] and then leaving to move into industry is hugely motivating for me.”
The academic believes her research also makes a difference in the media sector:
“In terms of my research, which looks at how people use language in media, I am motivated by the fact that as I critique some of the biases and some of the problematic ways language is used, I can influence content and it can be improved.”
One of Sisanda’s colleagues, a fellow CPUT lecturer and award-winning researcher, Dr Trust Matsilele, attests to her being a brilliant academic and mentor to others:
“Dr Nkoala is a workaholic [and] ethical academic. Having worked with her on multiple projects, I confirm that I doubt I have worked with someone with her level of dedication and drive.
“Considering she has a relatively young family which demands her time, I am in awe at how she manages to balance the pressing demands and remain on top of her work.”
Academic, mommy, mentor, PhD graduate, and more, Sisanda is truly proof that women can do it all!
Stunning lady celebrates bagging PhD in organic chemistry: “Well done, brains and beauty”
In a related story by Briefly News, another local beauty is shining brighter than a diamond after obtaining her PhD in Organic Chemistry.
Dr Tshifhiwa Ramabulana's achievement was shared on Facebook by the popular page Varsity World.
Her educational feat has inspired tons of social media users who showered her with congratulatory messages under the viral post.
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Source: Briefly News
