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A student from Preston has battled two personal difficulties while succeeding in gaining her PhD at the University of Central Lancashire.
Dr Kelechi Bukola Babatunde suffered the heartbreak of losing her mother and went through a challenging divorce while studying for her doctorate in construction management.
Following in her sister’s footsteps to complete her PhD, Kelechi also had to balance her studies with working part-time as a lecturer in construction project management at UCLan.
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Kelechi who is from Nigeria but lives in Preston now said: “There were so many times when I wanted to quit my studies.
“I separated from my ex-partner in 2020, and eventually went through the divorce process. It was quite challenging and very frustrating at the time. I wanted to quit my studies but thanks to my supervisory team, my family and friends, I kept on with it as they consistently encouraged me and helped me to persevere through the process.
“I then lost my mother in the final year of the PhD. Losing her was the hardest phase of my life. I really struggled to carry on, again but I knew she would have loved me to complete my PhD, so I found strength and support from the people around me to persevere.”
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She studied for her undergraduate degree in physics at Benue State University in her homeland and followed in her older sister’s footsteps by coming to study in Preston.
Kelechi added: “My elder sister Dr Chinyere Ajayi completed her PhD in gender-based violence at the University of Central Lancashire in 2020 and she spoke very highly of the university, so I was delighted when I got accepted for the PhD programme.
“I am so excited I’ve now graduated. It’s been so tough, and I would never have believed it at times, but I’ve finally achieved my dream and I know my mum would be so proud of my achievement.”
Kelechi completed a master’s degree in project management before embarking on her PhD and joined more than 4,000 students who took to the graduation stage of the University’s Sir Tom Finney Centre.
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