Mum earns doctorate in nursing, 20 years after daughter born prematurely during degree
A Co Antrim mum whose daughter was born prematurely while she was still a student has now graduated with a doctorate – 20 years on.
In 2006, Victoria Craig was approaching the end of her nursing degree when her world was turned on its head, daughter Catherine arriving 12 weeks early and beginning her young life with a 10-week stay in a neonatal unit.
Today the Broughshane mum graduated with a doctorate in nursing from Queen’s University Belfast, transforming her personal experience with premature birth into a lifelong commitment to empowering and supporting other parents facing similar challenges.
Looking back, Victoria says: “Catherine’s birth was a very traumatic time in my life. I often say she changed my life in so many ways.
“She was born by emergency c-section very early. Although I felt very supported by the nurses at the time, I was on autopilot and the impact of the trauma was felt for a very long time afterwards.”
Victoria went on to pursue a career in the same neonatal unit in which her daughter Catherine was born, caring for premature babies in what she describes as “an unexpected career option” after her own first hand knowledge of the experience.
Shortly after she turned 40 an opportunity to earn a PhD came up, inspiring her to go back to Queen’s as a mature student. Juggling academic work with caring for Catherine and her other children Adam and Sarah, she was already in a demanding situation when her family was hit by a life-changing medical event.
“Just a few months after I began my studies, my dad had a stroke,” she says. “I had to be on hand for appointments and help my mum when he had a series of falls.”
Praising her husband Stephen for his support throughout her studies, today Victoria is a clinical educator in the neonatal unit, while Catherine is a fit and healthy 20-year-old.
Other graduations today include fellow mature student Donna Marie Henry, who left school with few qualifications and spent decades raising four children while working as a waitress before looking to get the career she’d always dreamed of.
After taking GCSEs, an access course and an HND, she studied children’s nursing at Queen’s and graduates aged 49.
She says: “I would encourage anyone who is thinking about taking a new direction in life not to let age, fear or self-doubt hold them back. It's never too late to learn something new or follow a dream.”
Stephanie Burton overcame many challenges to graduate with a nursing doctorate, from suffering injuries in 2018 when she was hit by a car to being diagnosed with ADHD and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome during her studies.
“My experiences have only deepened my passion for nursing, student support, and compassionate education,” she says.
Ulster University graduate Callum Montgomery earned a PhD with research focused on materials that could cut carbon emissions for the marine and aerospace sectors. “The support I got and the opportunities to work closely with industry made it such a rewarding experience,” he says.