Maureen Beebe
Maureen Beebe
“Having children forces you to have discipline and prepares you in a different way than a “traditional” student.”
My journey began when I was accepted to a PhD program just weeks after giving birth to my second child. Prior to having children, I spent a lot of time trying to determine if I wanted to further my education or continue working as a dietitian. I enjoyed my work, but felt I was not living up to my full potential. I thought it would be too difficult to have the family I always wanted and be a successful, established researcher. Those that surrounded me who had achieved success were childless, this seemed to be the only way to succeed, and I knew having children was a must for me.
But fast forward to where I am today and I have achieved candidacy, received multiple scholarships, continue to publish, present our research and work towards completion of my PhD dissertation. Being a mother in science requires being innovative and creative, it forces you to think outside the box to get things done. Having children forces you to have discipline and prepares you in a different way than a “traditional” student.
I often find myself comparing myself to the students around me who do not have the same responsibilities and feeling guilty that I can’t give the same sort of time commitment to my studies. However, time commitment aside, I am as dedicated, as hardworking and as committed to my career as they are.
I want to share my story because even though I’m still working towards my degree and I’m not yet an established researcher – someday I will be. I want to be an example of success for the women who feel they can’t balance a research career and be a mother who is present to their children. I often think of my own daughter, I would never want her to sacrifice her dreams, I want her to believe she is capable of achieving anything she desires, and I want her to have an example of that in her own mother.