The summer graduation season got under way at universities around SA this week and, as always, stories of inspiration abound.
From the young boy who was motivated by his mother’s dying words — Ufunde mntanam (study hard, my child) — to the septuagenarian who graduated with a doctorate in business administration, we have loved reading their stories.
Khulekani Yakobi was just 11 when his mother died and her dying wish for him to do well at school pushed him, despite financial constraints and the loss of loved ones, among other challenges, to secure a better future.
This week the Walter Sisulu University lecturer graduated with a PhD in computing science and information systems at Nelson Mandela University.
He was among the 100 master’s and doctoral graduates capped this week.
Another, Ryan Gallant, overcame an unexpected retrenchment and financial constraints to graduate with his MBA cum laude on his second try.
He had previously tried to pursue an MBA in 2018, but three months in he realised he could not juggle work with his studies.
Gallant enrolled again in 2020, but Covid-19 hit, economies around the world took a beating and Gallant was retrenched.
But he persevered, even moving in with his eldest daughter, and this week walked across the stage in his red doctoral gown.
Why are we telling you this?
Because while these graduates celebrate their achievements, the Class of 2022 anxiously await their matric results.
These stories serve as motivation to the matriculants as they embark on the next chapter of their lives, whatever that might be.
There will be those who pass — some exceptionally well — and those who fail.
To those who pass, well done and enjoy this next chapter.
To those who fail, this is not the end.
Setbacks are temporary and — perhaps, sometimes — set-ups for better things to come.
Whatever you do, always keep in mind the words of The Herald, Weekend Post and HeraldLIVE editor Rochelle de Kock addressing the NMU faculty of humanities graduates this week: “What responsibility do you and I have to work and contribute toward making a difference in the spaces we occupy?”
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