Dr. Queshonda Kudaisi serves as proof that Black women are otherworldly!

Dr. Kudaisi is a mother of five who defied the odds and even successfully gave birth and attended graduation to receive her Ph.D. and her journey is one that will both shock and inspire you.

After testing positive for COVID-19 back in August, Dr. Queshonda Kudaisi wasn’t sure that she nor the baby would survive and even began to consider her options for pushing back her graduation from the University of South Florida. 

“I thought the baby and I wouldn’t survive, or that I would have to push back my graduation,” she explained via Twitter.

Overcoming Obstacles

After Dr. Kudaisi came down with a fever, her symptoms worsened and she would soon learn that she indeed had contracted COVID-19. 

“I had a fever almost the whole time, even after taking Tylenol,” she said in an interview with TODAY Parents. “I didn’t eat for about 14 days. I fractured my ribs because  I was coughing so much. I ended up developing pneumonia – it was just terrible. I really thought I was going to die. I was thinking to myself, ‘Wow, I have worked so hard to get to this point and it’s going to be snatched away at the end.’”

Thankfully, she was able to overcome the virus and would soon begin to prepare for both a successful delivery of a beautiful baby girl and graduation. 

Victory Lap

Once she tackled the virus, Dr. Kudaisi had two more goals to achieve — finishing her doctoral program and delivering a healthy baby. 

She managed to do both.

After successfully defending her dissertation to become a doctor of philosophy of curriculum and instruction with a concentration in mathematics education, she went on to give birth to a beautiful baby girl. 

As Dr. Kudaisi finished bringing a new life into the world, just hours following her discharge from the emergency center, she walked across the stage to receive her degree.

“I was discharged from the hospital with a healthy baby girl at 12pm and attended graduation at 6pm #PhDMom,” she continued in the tweet.

It’s safe to say Dr. Queshonda Kudaisi has given the term “super mom” a whole new meaning.