Our Stories

Michelle's Story

I often don't know what to say when people ask how I came to be doing a Phd. Like many stories, mine has multiple beginnings.

It could be because of the love of books and sense of social justice that my mother instilled in me from an early age. It might be because of the women from Wellington Women's Refuge who encouraged me to consider going to University. Or, it may be just the sheer pleasure I discovered in research, discussion, analysis and writing.

I do know that when a friend suggested I apply to the History of Consciousness program, at the University of California Santa Cruz in the same month that I won the opportunity to apply for residency in the United States, the signs were right. I studied hard for the U.S. Graduate Record Examinations, wrote a submission for a research project on violence against Māori women, and was very fortunate to have been accepted to the program.

Although the cliche that if you do something you love, you'll never work a day in your life, is definitely turning out to be true for me, the struggles I face of financial hardship and uncertainty, of shifts in class status, of fear of failure and self-doubt are very real. Doing a PhD has been a burden shared by friends, family and mentors. I don't think anyone can do this kind of work alone.

Michelle