Nine qualifications and counting for solo working mother

With nine qualifications already to her name, Rhia, Ngāti Porou, Rongoowhaataka, has no intention of stopping studying.

Rhia is currently completing her Postgraduate Diploma in Social Service Supervision after graduating from Massey with a Master of Arts (Social Policy) in 2021 and a Master of Applied Social Work in 2022.

Following a dysfunctional upbringing that saw Rhia become estranged from her family when she was a teenager, education has been how she has been able to improve her life and that of her children.

“I feel so fortunate to have access and opportunity to education. It has improved who I am as a person, a mother and a member of society,” Rhia says.

At just 15-years-old, Rhia became an independent youth and supported herself through high school while living in a hostel. After high school, she attended the University of Waikato, where partying took precedence over study and she left without a qualification.

She found her way back to tertiary education when she was 31. Living in Dunedin with her one-year-old daughter and her partner at the time, Rhia enrolled with Massey to study Diploma in Human Development part-time via distance.

“I found it really enjoyable and built my sense of confidence and self-belief. I appreciated having something to think about while wiping bums and doing the dishes!”

From there, things grew quickly, with Rhia taking on a full-time course of study while also working and raising her three children who are now aged 11, seven and five.  

Her initial focus was social policy as she enjoyed the process of understanding how policy impacts people’s daily lives and their access to resources and opportunity.

“I was not satisfied only having a top-down view of policy and systems and so engaged in the Master of Social Work programme. I feel that having a robust knowledge of both policy and social work practice makes me stronger and more critical in how I work as a social worker,” Rhia explains.

In late 2020, Rhia relocated to New Plymouth, and now works full-time as a child and family social worker with Barnardos. She also facilitates conferences between offenders and victims of crime for the Restorative Justice Trust in Taranaki.

It requires immense commitment and discipline in order for Rhia to juggle her professional jobs, academic study and family responsibilities, and sleep is the first thing to be sacrificed.

“I study or do work paperwork between 3am and 6.30am. Then I focus on my children and getting them to school. I work between 9am and 2.30pm, so I am able to be there for my children and take them to afterschool activities and have a stable family routine with dinner and homework. Once they are asleep I study and complete other needed paperwork and domestic work.”

Preparation has been the key to Rhia’s academic success, while keeping an ordered and tidy home help her feel like she is fulfilling her role as a mother.

“I learnt that if I got ahead in semester work by about a month at the beginning of semester, it would mitigate those moments when the kids got sick, or school holidays happened.”

As she is not eligible for a student loan, Rhia has had to pay her own way through her studies, although she has received financial help from Massey in the form of two COVID-19 grants and the Peter Collett Distant Student Bursary.

She also cites the meaningful relationships she has developed with her supervisors from the School of Social Work as being an important part of her postgraduate success.

“I found as an undergraduate it was harder to have relationships with lecturers, however as a postgraduate and thesis student, the relationships I have developed were meaningful and supported me immensely. My two supervisors, Nicky Stanley Clarke and Lareen Cooper were absolutely wonderful people to have on my team.”

Through her studies Rhia has also been able to connect with her Māori heritage, something that she had shunned until she became a mother at 30.

“Being a student has encouraged my critical thinking and understanding of my Māori heritage from a theoretical point of view. I want to learn about myself and who I am in a culturally coherent way.” 

Rhia's adamant that she never wants to stop studying and hopes to be able to find a research grant to allow her to complete a PhD.

With nearly a decade of study under her belt, Rhia is clearly well qualified to share advice to other solo parents considering study.

“Find your way to manage, whether it is routine and order, or acceptance of mess and letting things slide,” she says.

“Find the passion within your life and focus on that when moments get tough.

“Know that you are role modelling to your children focus, diligence and interest in school. It will benefit them.

“Be proud of your tenacity and be proud that you can do this. Don’t feel discouraged if you get low grades at times and don’t compare yourself to younger students who don’t have the same responsibilities.”

With over 100 courses on offer, Massey has something for everyone.