The PhD is officially done. 🎓 And I couldn’t be more thrilled! After what felt like a couple of lifetimes, and with a few newly acquired grey strands to prove it. Since submission, it has meant weekends that don’t feature the library as the main character.

In truth, I submitted my thesis back in 2024. But as anyone who’s been through this journey knows, submission doesn’t mean it’s over. The months that followed included receiving reviewer comments, deliberating on feedback, addressing (or respectfully pushing back on) suggestions, and resubmitting for final approval and conferral.

All of that has now culminated in graduation.

So while the doctorate was technically completed some time ago, there were still a few critical steps before I could fully close this chapter. Now, at long last, it’s done.

I’ve had mixed feelings about the timeline of this journey, but for those who love a good timeline or need proof that God doesn’t work in straight lines but in all manner or patterns

• August 2017: Enrolled in the PhD. Dialled down to part-time public policy professional. Excited? Ambitious…with traces of Nobel Laureate-level delirium? Nervous and feeling very much like an imposter? Also  Yes, We were doing a lot.

• 2020 – Ah, the COVID Years:
This is where I confidently believed, “I’ll finish by 2021.”
(Cute—because life had other plans.)Between lockdowns, lost structure, and Microsoft Teams or Zoom everything, I switched to part-time study and part-time work. The libraries closed. The silence got louder. And somewhere between thesis chapters and policy briefs, I quietly unravelled.

• 2020–2024:
The in-between years. Crises—existential, identity, mental, emotional, physical (and every other flavour you can name)—made regular appearances. I seriously contemplated withdrawing. More than once. Did I mention hair breakage and having to cut the hair to start again? Weight gain. Sleepless nights, tears and episodes of walking into showers with glasses on? Stories for another day. But yes, there were stretches where finishing felt impossible, and I questioned not just my research, but my purpose, my path, and whether I still belonged in this journey at all. But somewhere in all that, I kept going. Slowly. Quietly. Imperfectly. But forward with the support and encouragement of my neighbourhood of cheerleaders, supporters and accountability partners!

• Late 2024: Thesis submitted.
Relief. Exhaustion. A silent exhale that felt seven years deep. Also: a generous crop of grey hairs…each one a little badge of survival.

• April 2025: The conferral email landed. I read it, reread it, and then just sat still. Grateful. Stunned. Confused. A tad anticlimactic , but much relief.

• August 2025: Graduation. Cap. Gown. Full-circle joy. Closure with a capital C.

If you’re reading between the bullet points, you’re probably wondering how a four-year plan turned into a 7 year fully fledged odyssey that concludes with graduation at the beginning of the 8^th year. The answer? Life, detours, deep learning (both academic and personal), and the beauty of what happens when theory and practice collide. I didn’t just earn a doctorate. I fought for it. Lived through it. Grew into it.  The journey wasn’t linear. It wasn’t easy. But it’s mine—and I wouldn’t trade it for a neater version because in the imperfect many of my ways have been perfected and I’ve confronted and encountered versions of self that I have a deep appreciation for.

It was never a solo act.

There was a year I hit the lowest of lows. I barely noticed my own birthday approaching but one friend did. She didn’t just notice; she insisted…pushed hard to celebrate me at a time when I couldn’t celebrate myself. That moment has never left me. Because that’s the thing about community: you may forget yourself, but they don’t. They remember. They show up. They become your cheerleaders, your life support when you’re running on fumes.

And show up they did—time and time again.

Not a “village,” but a neighbourhood/metropolis, as I like to call it. You’re the ones who planned restful surprises when I was clawing my way out of academic trenches. You’ve been food providers, prayer warriors, wellness checkers, laughter donors, and quiet, steady presences who held me up without needing to say a word. I love you all. I am deeply grateful for you all. This certificate may have my name on it but your fingerprints are all over it, too. My brilliant supervisors—Associate Professor Natasha Cortis and Professor kylie valentine at the Social Policy Research Centre, UNSW. They guided, challenged, and held my hand through the academic labyrinth.

If you’ve followed parts of this journey, you’ll know I’ve never hidden the fact that a PhD was not part of my original life plan. In fact, I had mapped out a very different path—one that was steering me far from a return to #studentlife.(If you missed that story, I invite you to check out my earlier blog post, Divine Disruptions .) So I want to take a moment to honour Prophet Richard Amoaye for speaking into my life and encouraging me to take this path, even when it made no sense to me at the time. What began as a prophetic instruction has become a lived reality. A reality we now celebrate together and one we trust will yield fruit far beyond my own life. Again, my Testimony Hub and Inspiring Greatness families — real people real testimonies (with some dashes of initial delays)!

My family… many absences, on some days traces of what seemed like a troll residing in the same house and so much more. I am indebted to you. And to my friends! It is done! We are done! Above all, my deepest gratitude goes to God—whose strength upheld me and whose timing was always perfect. There were moments when logic would have had me bow out gracefully, but grace wouldn’t let me. He carried me when my own willpower had run dry.

So here it is. PhD Complete. Officially. Properly. Finally.

Now begins the real hard work updating every single email signature and kindly requesting that you update your contacts accordingly. That’s Dr Sister, Dr Bae, Dr Aunty, Dr Tete, Dr Friend, Dr Mentor, Dr Sahwira—whichever one applies, just make sure the “Dr” is front and centre.

And if you happen to have my parents’ numbers saved, feel free to update those to: “Proud producers of Dr.”

As the young ones will say “I know I play too much”! But after what feels like 84 lifetimes of studying, grinding, sacrificing, and growing—best believe we are getting maximum mileage out of this title. Because we have laboured. And we have earned every letter of that “Dr.” 😉

 And to those curious enough to dive into the thesis it is now publicly available here . My thesis examined the roles of not-for-profit peak bodies in homelessness policy in Australia. This theoretically informed study focused on three Australian jurisdictions and involved interviews with a mix of policy professionals, CEOs and managers of peak bodies, as well as specialists in service delivery and research. The study uses a theoretical framework to interpret the accounts of the roles and contributions of peak bodies to policy processes. The participants included 17 senior policy staff from housing and homelessness peak organisations and 13 representatives from five different organisations, which encompassed government , community service providers, and a policy think tank.

What’s next? Weekend arvo naps. Café catch ups. Coastal and inland walks. Brunches, linners and dinners because we all know the life of lie ins is a top priority in this season.

Accepting therapy packages for my birthday this year! I hear birdwatching in the African Motherland or wandering in European cities also does wonders   😉

Yours,

Dr. Eugenia Fadzai