A resilient Edinburgh Napier University (ENU) student has celebrated her graduation after recovering from colon cancer – and thanked the staff who supported her along the way.
Sophia McIntosh studied for a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) from her home in Kingston, Jamaica, alongside her work as a university lecturer there.
She took time out from her studies after receiving her cancer diagnosis in 2019 but was later able to return to and complete the course.
Sophia crossed the stage at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall on Wednesday to collect her degree, having travelled from the Caribbean with her mum for the ceremony.
Sophia said: “I am just so full of joy, not just for me but for all of my family members and friends who have supported me.
“I am happy that I went on this journey, I am liberated and more confident. The doctorate is the icing on the cake, but the journey has transformed me.
“I still have my thesis on leadership sitting on my table at home and sometimes I just open it to have a look!
“I’m so proud of myself – I never knew I had it in me to read and learn so much.”
Having felt unwell for some time, it was through a chance meeting with a doctor at church that Sophia was referred for health checks and discovered her cancer diagnosis.
She underwent surgery and chemotherapy in the autumn of 2019, followed by more treatment the following year.
She said: “When I was told the news, I just went numb. I was told we would have to move quickly and have surgery.
“All the horror stories about chemotherapy happened to me. I had complications from my surgery, and my parents came down from another part of Jamaica to look after me.
“I had two major surgeries, and we lost my adopted brother around the same time. But despite these traumatic events, I resumed my studies after the year.”
Sophia’s graduation comes after taking time out from the course because of illness and the Covid pandemic. She is now receiving checks every six months.
Now that Sophia has completed her degree, she has paid tribute to ENU staff members past and present who supported her, including Dr Ciarán McFadden-Young, Dr Janice McMillan, and Professor Gerri Matthews-Smith – as well as Professor Alison McCleery, who sadly passed away last year.
“It was difficult going back to the doctorate, but my research supervisors helped me settle,” Sophie added. “They were patient with me and not judgemental. They were respectful and they gave me space.
“I can’t find the words to thank them – they held my hand. I never felt alone, I never felt unsafe. I had them all behind me.”
Sophia has graduated alongside fellow students from Edinburgh Napier University’s Business School today.
ENU’s autumn graduation ceremonies were held at the Usher Hall between 29 – 31 October.