When life throws you lemons, make lemonade. That is exactly what Travis Bedeck did during his journey towards successfully completing his Master’s Degree in Chemical Engineering.

Benecke graduated cum laude this evening (Thursday, 1 September 2016) during the Durban University of Technology’s Spring Graduation Ceremonies held at the University’s Fred Crookes Sports Centre, Steve Biko Campus.

His fascination for turning raw material into finished goods was what drew him to studying Chemical Engineering. Benecke’s Master’s research focused on cleaner burning fuels and the of use organic chemicals to create burning gasolines, more or less to form cleaner engineering which all positively impacts community development.

The road has not been all fun for Benecke. He had many challenges during his early years of study, such as his parents’ split which resulted in his father, who was paying his fees, cutting all ties with the family; abandoning him and his sisters and leaving him in debt. Although he (Travis) managed to get his fees paid up in full, the loss of his relationship with his father left him heartbroken. During his BTech studies, he was faced with the stresses of juggling work, his research and attending lecturers “It taught me to priorities and stick to schedule,” he said.
Benecke feels he could not have strived through all the emotional roller coasters and the hardships of life all alone without his belief in God. “The harder things got, the more I felt I could trust God. It’s about getting over myself because if I get too self involved, I tend to fail and if I free from myself, things start to work out. I don’t know how and I don’t know why, but the word of God is very powerful,” he said.

Although he is not sure at the moment whether he will be perusing his PhD studies, he is non-the-less passionate about research and plans to focus on his work at the Institute for Water and Wastewater Technology Institute.

Benevke encourages students who wish to study Chemical Engineering to do it because they are passionate and not for the sake of the money.

– Phumeza Msongelwa

Pictured: Travis Bedeck who graduated cum laude for his Master’s Degree in Chemical Engineering. Benecke this evening (Thursday, 1 September 2016 at the Durban University of Technology.