Tessa Barry, PhD in Agriculture Extension with a focus on Agri-Entrepreneurship, Gender and Food Security – The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago – 2013 – 2018.

I became a doctoral candidate at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus in Trinidad, in September of 2013. This was one year after completing a Master of Science in International Development: Management of Economics and Rural Development, at the University of Manchester.

I always knew that I wanted to do a PhD because of my love for books and exploring at a young age. How I was going to achieve that however was my biggest huddle given that my financial situation made it seem impossible. To tell you how I ended up pursuing a PhD, I must first briefly link you to my Masters degree. In pursuit of a Master’s degree, I submitted about 10 scholarship applications. I was shortlisted for all, but none came through.  There was a glimmer of hope for one  where I was told that I was the chosen candidate. However, the funding was not approved and there was no indication when it would be.

Nevertheless with the support of my husband, since at that time I was already married with a family, I pursued the Masters degree with a student loan.  Mid-way through the Masters degree I got a call from the organization which chose me for a Masters funding, informing me that the funding was approved and that I was awarded a scholarship to pursue a Masters Degree. Unfortunately, or fortunately, I was halfway through a Master’s Degree on my own funding. The organization could not fund the University where I was at, since the UK was not under their jurisdiction. I took a leap of faith and requested from the organization that funding for the masters  be converted to a PhD. They agreed on the grounds that the funding would not increase to cover the entire PhD (The process is a story to tell, look out for my book). 

A year and a half later, I was pursuing a PhD in Agriculture Extension. I had funding for only 1 year as this was the funding forwarded from the Masters degree. The organization which provided the funding gave me the opportunity to select the university or allow them to select.  I took to option of allowing them to select the university on my behalf.

I wrote a research proposal based on my area of interest.  My passion for agriculture originated from the community where I grew up on the island of Grenada (The Island of Spice), in the Caribbean (you can find out more about my passion through my page ‘I AM SPICE’ on Facebook and YouTube). The research interests emanated from my background, my passion and my field experience in Uganda during my Master’s degree. The organization submitted 3 options which catered to my areas of interest. They were from three countries: Canada, USA (New Mexico) and Trinidad.  I was asked to select based on order of preference. Having recently completed a Masters in the UK, far away from home and family, I opted for the option closer to home, The University of the West Indies, (Trinidad) as my number one choice.

My research proposal was submitted to the university together with all the necessary application documentation. At that point I was unaware who my supervisor would be. I later learnt that I was assigned to a supervisor based on my research proposal.  Someone with a background on my research interest.

When I left my island Grenada to study, I was employed as a Primary School Teacher. It was a family decision to take leave without pay from the job. My entire family (my daughter (10 at the time), my husband and I) moved to Trinidad. Moving an entire family is a challenge, especially with funding only for only one year.  We cashed in on a previous investment, as a cushion, in the event that neither of us got a job. I must hasten to point out here that the support of your spouse or partner is vital when deciding to pursue a PhD. My extended family and close friends were also a key web of support.

I was presented with a team of three potential supervisors upon arrival at the university. I did my research on their background and area of expertise, requested to drop 2 after my research and had to find their replacements. After researching, I identified the replacements, approached them, and explained my research interest. They both agreed to be a part of my team. I then submitted the names to graduate studies at the university, who reviewed the team, then approved.

Now remember I only had funding for 1 year of studies in a foreign country, though still in the Caribbean Region. How did I manage? My supervisor assisted in helping me find a tutoring job at the university within 1 month of my settling in. My husband was also fortunate in landing a job with the government of Trinidad. The University of The West Indies provides funding for field research when conducting a PhD, which also helped. My one-year scholarship funding, the tutoring job at the University and field research funding saw me through financially.

Determining my research interest was pretty easy for me as I always knew my passion and I wanted to pursue an area that would enable me to work in rural development. I always remember the words of my master’s supervisor – “Always select an area you have a passion for to do research because when it gets tough and you feel like giving up, your passion is what will drive you.”  Today I encourage my students with these words.

Pursuing a PhD is no easy task. One must be determined, and it has to be something that you want to achieve. You may think that moving to another Caribbean country which is just 25 minutes flying time away from my homeland would have been pretty easy. Well, it was not. While Caribbean islands share many similarities, there are also a lot of cultural differences. Trinidad is one of the faster paced islands and hence there were some differences that were somewhat a culture shock for me. Never-the-less, exploring another culture while pursuing studies was a rewarding experience.

Similar to most PhD programmes, my course of study included a year of pursuing courses. This was a great experience. Given that I was focusing on a multifaceted area (Gender, Agri-Entrepreneurship and Food Security), my courses crossed different faculties at the university. This was exciting as well as challenging.  I pursued courses at the Institute of Gender Studies as well as the Faculty of Food and Agriculture. While this was challenging, it broadened my scope and experiences. During the year of course work, I also had to do a lot of editing to my research proposal. I was also doing some hours work on campus, so it was a very demanding year. It is important to manage time down to every second when you have a family, working, and pursuing a PhD.

After the first year, it got even more challenging. My research initially involved five Caribbean Islands, however, with the advice of my supervisors, I had to narrow it down to three as the demand to have to travel to all islands were not just more costly, but also very difficult.  It can take a long time to finalize and narrow down your focus when pursuing a PhD. It is, however, imperative that this is done very early and that your methodology is succinct. If this is not done, you will find yourself as we say in the Caribbean “spinning top in mud.”  You will be going around in circles. This phase included a lot of literature review.  You must know when it’s time to stop reading too much and begin writing. At this point it can become very daunting as you sometimes wonder if you are making any sense. Without a good supervisor it can also become even more challenging. Do not be afraid to request change in supervisors or an additional one if it becomes absolutely necessary. You will know. I had to get an additional supervisor at this point.

I was afforded many opportunities during this phase.  I attended many seminars, conferences, and workshops in many different countries. This was a very rewarding experience from which I was able to build an excellent network. Creating a network is key and helps when you launch into your career full time after completing your PhD. 

There were many times I felt like giving up. I had moments of depression, loneliness, and anxiety. I lost both my parents and a sister which affected my writing severely. My close relationship with God and the support of family and friends saw me through those times. At the times I felt like giving up, my passion for my research also kept me going.  My supervisors were also a great source of comfort as they were not only academic supervisors but lend their support emotionally also. It is important to have a great working relationship with your supervisor(s). There were many times also in the process where I thought that I had accomplished nothing. It was at those moments when I learnt it is important to take a step outside of the work and free up yourself. I therefore found moments to enjoy the culture of Trinidad and to engage in some lighter moments socializing. Take some time to do something that you enjoy, it helps to keep you sane.

Another difficult experience for me was leaving my family to go out and collect data.  I had to travel to three islands to gather data. Maintaining focus was challenging. The reward for me there was engaging with the people and knowing that my research would be a great benefit to not just my country but my region, and this kept me going. You may lose a friend or two along the way as I did, not by choice and not through death. In the moments when I was lost in writing and engaged deeply in my work, my family understood but unfortunately, I drifted away from a couple of friends I missed communicating with. Be prepared that some bonds may break as well as new bonds will form.

An important aspect of the PhD life is defending your research. That oral examination can build a level of anxiety in you to “knock you out.” My advice as given by one of my supervisors, “it is your work, you did the research, and no one knows your work more than you do. Just go out there and tell your story, own it.” 

There is so much more that I can write and share but space does not permit. This is why I chose to tell my story in a book that is almost complete. What I take away from this experience is that I am human. I experienced uncertainty, sorrow, challenges, depression, anxiety. However, I also experienced joys, comfort, love and support. I learnt to be patient, I learnt that I could not do this on my own. I also learnt never to weather a storm on my own, seek help and most of all to take risks.

While there are many challenges in pursuing a PhD, there are also great rewards. Always remember many have gone before you and got through it despite the challenges.  If we can do it, so can you!

“Your attitude determines your altitude.”