Ayo Bodunde wears many hats: at home, she’s a caregiver to her mother; at school, she’s a PhD candidate researching gun violence in Chicago; and elsewhere, she draws on over a decade of nursing experience as a fierce mental health nurse and advocate. 

Nursing was not necessarily Ayo’s first choice for a career. Although interested in healthcare, Ayo initially tried various other majors including aerospace engineering and biology before venturing into the field of nursing. Despite her colorful interests, Ayo recounts that she was left unsatisfied with her first two majors. She ultimately pursued nursing after witnessing how rewarding her older sister’s career in the field was. With that, she attended Malcolm X College and eventually received her associate degree in nursing in 2013. Afterwards and while working as a bedside nurse, a unit director encouraged her to pursue her bachelor’s in nursing degree. Since then, Ayo has worked at the bedside taking care of adolescents diagnosed with various mental health concerns. 

While working as a staff nurse at an inpatient adolescent psychiatric unit, another unit director inspired Ayo to complete her PhD. She applied to the program in 2020 but was met with multiple challenges from the get-go, including self-doubt and her mother being on life support after a seizure resulted in serious brain injury. She recounts: 

 “[My mother] was on life support while I was interviewing for the PhD program. I essentially had to leave the hospital my mother was in and rush home to do an interview over Zoom. I had to compartmentalize a lot to make it through that period. I leaned heavily on my three older sisters. It was a scary period and made me question whether furthering my education at this time was even worth it. I knew my mother would want me to continue, and being the first in my family to earn a PhD was important to all of us.”

Thankfully, Ayo’s mother recovered as Ayo began her doctoral studies. However, her journey in the PhD program has been far from easy. Given her mother’s condition, she has had to fulfill the role of a full-time caregiver while simultaneously attending school full-time and working to make ends meet. 

Almost 40% of caregivers are Black, Indigenous, or People of Color, and 22% of Black students are caregivers ((Lloyd & Brown, 2023; Mental Health America, n.d.; Melillo, 2023). This is an important area for universities to consider with regards to understanding the lived experiences of their students and how to best support them. Students who are caregivers split their time between school and caregiving, which may restrict their abilities to finish school. Forty-six percent of Black students with additional responsibilities, including caregiving, have reported considering dropping their coursework within the past six months, according to a recent Lumina-Gallup study (Lloyd & Brown, 2023; Melillo, 2023). 

Aside from the burnout from her multiple responsibilities, Ayo also experienced self-doubt and imposter syndrome: “I got into the program and found myself constantly comparing myself to my younger, incredibly smart classmates, who all seemed to have everything figured out.” 

What helped her get through this? Her support system:

“Overall, having support from the people who matter to me has been essential to getting where I am today. I still have a long way to go, but I don’t think I would have made it this far without a strong support system.” 

 Ayo has also realized that she is not alone in her struggles. “As the semesters progressed and I actually started talking to people, I realized that we were all navigating new territory and had our own challenges.” Ayo’s advice to students? Three things: 1) Build a support system; 2) Celebrate the small wins; and 3) Allow yourself to rest.

Upon graduating, Ayo jokes, “I see myself on flight out of the country to some place warm, with beautiful beaches, and good friend plantain. I need a vacation.”

Note: Thank you to Ayo Bodunde for sharing her story!

Resources: 

Lloyd, C. & Brown, C. (2023, Feb 9). Black Students More Likely to Balance Multiple Life Priorities. Gallup. https://news.gallup.com/poll/469286/black-students-likely-balance-multiple-life-priorities.aspx

Melillo, G. (2023, Feb 9). Black students more likely to be balancing life responsibilities beyond coursework: Gallup. The Hill. https://thehill.com/changing-america/enrichment/education/3850923-black-students-more-likely-to-be-balancing-life-responsibilities-beyond-coursework-gallup/

Mental Health America (n.d.). Caregiving in BIPOC Communities. Mental Health America. https://mhanational.org/resources/caregiving-in-bipoc-communities/