For the dynamic Bongeka Chamane, having to overcome her bouts of panic attacks was her biggest challenge which once she had done, allowed her to fulfil her dreams of achieving her academic goals.

“I feel honoured and humbled to receive this award of achieving cum laude. I always try to do my best in everything that I do. I do believe that it was by God’s grace that I obtained this award because it helped me through every challenge I had faced until I had completed my Degree of Bachelor of Technology in Nursing Science,” she said proudly.

For Chamane, who is currently working at Umngeni Waterfall Institution in Howick, a mental health hospital for mentally retarded individuals, achieving cum laude and a Dean’s merit award was a dream come true, even though it was difficult to achieve. “I would just like to add that the lesson I learnt from being overloaded with work in high school and also from my history of panic attacks was to take each day as it comes. Worrying and procrastinating are the two enemies I had to overcome and being present is the key to overcoming them. I always made sure I never left a lecture confused about what was being taught, and this helped me recall things that I may have missed while studying, or when writing exams. I also think that studying and doing homework with my friends and colleagues after classes every day really helped cement the work in my mind, and forced me to reason subject matter in different ways when I was explaining it to different people,” she added.

To deviate from her stressful life, Chamane jogs for one hour in the afternoon, three days a week.  “I also love listening to music and singing and although I am not a very social person but I do enjoy watching movies with friends and going out for supper,” she said.

Chamane also added that studying at DUT was an eye-opening experience, especially at Indumiso campus, as she had met many different types of people who came from very different backgrounds than hers. This made her experience enjoyable, and because she now has a better understanding of different people in general, this has been useful in the nursing field, especially dealing with clients from all walks of life, which is a vital aspect.

She said that in terms of her studies she does feel that her degree has taken her places as it is an honours equivalent. “I can simply do my Master’s degree after I have graduated. In fact, I would have registered for it this year, 2017, but the South African Nursing Council insisted that once I have completed my degree I must do one year of community service during which I cannot register to study further,” she said.

In Chamane’s family, being a nurse was always her dream and her role model is her mother. “My mother is my greatest inspiration and my best friend.  Prof Sibiya, our Head of Department at DUT and Pastor Joseph Prince also inspired me and kept me grounded,” she added.

Her aim is to also specialise in mental health studies, especially research. She would like to contribute to research in the South African context as most of the health science related research originated in overseas. “The cultural differences in South Africa alone are many which give rise to many issues when trying to apply health care interventions which are prescribed by international textbooks. My aim is not necessarily to write textbooks for students but its more to add to the body of knowledge for others to draw from it for South Africans or for third world related studies,” she said proudly.

For Chamane, she would definitely be keen on going abroad for work, especially for research purposes. “I would like to be involved in a big research company, I must stress that I would only be going for a short period as I would like to bring those skills back to South Africa. Once I am back in South Africa that will give me a financial advantage and also make my research internationally recognised,” she said.

Today (25 April 2017), Chamane received her Degree of Bachelor of Technology in Nursing Science.

Waheeda Peters