{"id":32078,"date":"2026-09-03T08:47:33","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T00:47:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/?post_type=media-release&#038;p=32078"},"modified":"2026-09-03T08:57:25","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T00:57:25","slug":"double-degree-of-family-pride-for-curtin-mother-and-son-duo","status":"publish","type":"media-release","link":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/media-release\/double-degree-of-family-pride-for-curtin-mother-and-son-duo\/","title":{"rendered":"Double degree of family pride for Curtin mother and son duo"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A mother and son have crossed the stage at Curtin University\u2019s graduation ceremonies this week, marking a memorable family milestone and a multi-generational reminder of the transformative power of education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Career midwife and mother-of-three Nicole Freeman graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy (Nursing and Midwifery) in the same week her 22-year-old son, Oliver, achieved a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Commerce (Finance).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dr Freeman, who returned to Curtin following three decades as a midwife and after completing her Master of Midwifery in 2002, continues to work as a midwife in clinical practice at King Edward Memorial Hospital while also working as a research fellow alongside her PhD supervisor and Professor of Midwifery Zoe Bradfield.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And even though her PhD exploring the care midwives provide to women experiencing early pregnancy complications such as miscarriage has come to an end, Dr Freeman\u2019s learning journey is far from over with plans for more study next year that will enable her to apply for registration as an endorsed midwife in Australia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Double degree of family pride for Curtin mother and son duo\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/surDH4B-LTk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Curtin University Vice-Chancellor Professor Harlene Hayne congratulated the Freeman family on their special milestone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cEducation has the power to transform lives at every stage, giving people the power to change lives, build their confidence and create new possibilities,\u201d Professor Hayne said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNicole and Oliver\u2019s graduation story is a wonderful reminder that learning does not end at a particular age or milestone &#8211; it is a lifelong journey that can shape families, professions and communities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dr Freeman, aged 56, said she was filled with pride to see her oldest child graduate in the same week as her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe last time I graduated from Curtin, Oliver was not even born,\u201d she said. \u201cHis graduation this week is more important to me than my own \u2013 as a parent I am beyond impressed with his achievements. My husband and I watched him cross the stage with such happiness and pride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI am a really strong believer in education but understand that many people face significant barriers to tertiary education in particular, so I\u2019d encourage anyone to seek advice on how you can be supported to study, even if it is only part time. Find something you enjoy and ask for lots of help. Curtin is full of knowledgeable people who are <s>so<\/s> ready to help you and I am so grateful for the support I\u2019ve received to juggle working and family life with my PhD.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Oliver said it was \u201cextra meaningful\u201d to be graduating at the same as his mum, adding he was already working within the legal workforce as a graduate at a commercial and litigation firm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cGraduation is both the beginning and the end. It is the end of my formal education journey, and my five years at Curtin and the recognition of the hard work and continued dedication that I have put into my studies over the years,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHowever, it also marks a new beginning as I enter the workforce. Working in the legal profession will continue to educate me and allow me to put my university training into practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf you&#8217;re looking for change, don&#8217;t wait for it to find you &#8211; go after it. Growth rarely comes from staying comfortable and the opportunities that shape your future often begin with taking a chance on something new. It can be intimidating to step outside your comfort zone but every worthwhile journey starts with a decision. If you want the future to look different, make today look different.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dr Freeman\u2019s PhD was supported by the Western Australian Government\u2019s Future Health and Research Innovation Fund through the Clinician Researcher Scholarship in partnership with Curtin University and the North Metropolitan Health Service, supporting her to study full-time from 2023 and providing opportunities to study, work and travel within Australia and internationally for publications and conferences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For more information about Curtin\u2019s graduation ceremonies, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/students\/essentials\/graduation\/\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A mother and son have crossed the stage at Curtin University\u2019s graduation ceremonies this week, marking a memorable family milestone and a multi-generational reminder of the transformative power of education. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4273,"featured_media":32079,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"6664,7575,6015,5899,21334,29260","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","wds_primary_category":3,"wds_primary_research-areas":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1053,3,79,466,96],"tags":[1522,243,1523,489,927],"research-areas":[],"class_list":["post-32078","media-release","type-media-release","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-campus-and-global-community","category-health","category-law","category-nursing-midwifery","tag-graduation","tag-highereducation","tag-law","tag-midwifery","tag-nursing"],"acf":{"experts":false,"post_options":{"":null,"additional_content":{"title":"","content":"","image":false},"related_courses":[{"title":"","qualification":"","link":"","description":"","faculty":""}],"credits":{"author":{"title":"Yasmine Phillips","url":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/experts\/yasmine-phillips-2\/","target":""},"photographer":{"title":"Jack Walton","url":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/experts\/jack-walton-2\/","target":""},"media":[24388]},"display_author":true,"banner":{"image":false}}},"featured_image":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Nicole-and-Oliver-Freeman--1920x500.jpg","author_meta":{"first_name":"Yasmine","last_name":"Phillips","display_name":"Yasmine Phillips"},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media-release\/32078","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media-release"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/media-release"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4273"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media-release\/32078\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32079"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32078"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32078"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32078"},{"taxonomy":"research-areas","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/research-areas?post=32078"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}