Durban — A Durban University of Technology (DUT) student said graduating cum laude was the cherry on top after she had been challenged by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Thandeka Dlamini, 27, from Estcourt in KwaZulu-Natal, did not allow the ‘new normal’ way of living to stop her from achieving academic excellence.
Dlamini graduated on Monday morning at the Indumiso Campus Hall after completing her Bachelor’s degree in Education: Economics and Management Sciences cum laude.
Dlamini said she was excited when she learnt that she had graduated cum laude. Becoming a teacher had always been her dream so the special achievement was like a cherry on top.
However, she said she gained it through hard work and dedication.
“The Covid-19 pandemic challenged me immensely. Adapting to the ‘new normal’ was hard for me and it added stress on me and on my academics. I experienced network problems while studying from home, which made it hard for me to reach out to my group mates as well as lecturers,” Dlamini explained.
She is currently working as an education assistant and job hunting.
Dlamini credited herself for pushing through many challenges and persevering until the end. She is grateful to her family and her lecturers for supporting her since the beginning of her academic journey.
“This achievement is dedicated to my family. My parents had worked very hard raising me, teaching and grooming me for the future. I am who I am today because of them. I got these wonderful results because of them,” she said.
She also advised students to stick to their dreams and forget about friends as the university is not the place to make friends, it is the place to study and get good results. She pleaded with them to remember where they come from, the situation they left at home that is waiting for them to change.
WhatsApp your views on this story to 071 485 7995.
Daily News