A huge cheer filled the Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre when PhD graduate Mary Scott walked onto the stage during the University of Wollongong’s graduation ceremony on Tuesday.
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A sessional tutor at the uni’s Shoalhaven campus, Dr Scott was awarded her PhD the same day 30 of her students graduated from the Faculty of Law, Humanities and The Arts.
The 66-year-old Burrill Lake resident, who completed her studies in July last year, was the first person from UOW Shoalhaven Campus to be presented a PhD at the Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre and she told the Times she was thrilled and proud of her achievements.
“It’s such an accomplishment that I never thought I would reach,” she said.
“I was as nervous as I have ever been in my life.
“A huge roar went up when my name was called because so many of my previous students were graduating as well.”
Dr Scott said her age was no barrier to completing her studies.
“It just goes to show if you put your mind to something, you can achieve it,” she said.
“There are so many older people out there, particularly women, who believe they can’t resume studies.”
Dr Scott completed her thesis on the tactics used by corporations and governments in normalising the privatisation of public water supply and distribution services, while also teaching six subjects at the Shoalhaven campus.
She spent seven years researching case studies from Cochabamba in Bolivia, Manila in The Philippines and New Delhi in India.
After leaving school at 17, Dr Scott originally commenced a Bachelor Arts degree at the Australian National University in Canberra as a mature aged student in 1984, but the pressure of being a single mum meant she had to drop out.
She held various jobs over the years, including working as a tour guide for Intrepid, before resuming her studies at the University of Wollongong’s Batemans Bay campus in 2004, achieving a Bachelor of Arts first class honours degree in Culture, Community and Environment.
Dr Scott was awarded a scholarship to commence her PhD.
She said taking up study as an older student was not just about academic skills, but was also about knowledge gained throughout life.
She said regional campuses, like Nowra and Batemans Bay, were more accessible and offered plenty of support for older students.
“They are more personable than the big city universities and every student is known,” she said.
“I had some very good mentors along the way.
“The friendships you make are the people you study with,” she added.
Dr Scott was proud to have her daughter Bec Versluys and grandson Rheif Lindberg-Versluys as well as close friends with her at the graduation ceremony.
“I didn’t think I’d ever feel so happy,” she said.
