It was pure joy for Phumelele Kubheka as she walked the graduation stage at the Durban University of Technology Autumn graduation ceremonies hosted at the Olive Convention Centre during the evening session (26 May 2023).
Kubheka was conferred for her Advanced in Management Sciences: Marketing. This was not Kubheka’s first choice of study, but she is glad her parents advised her to go for it.
“My parents convinced me to study marketing, they thought it will be a career path I will enjoy and evolve in,” she said. She sees herself as a shy person and sometimes self-doubt always grew in the way of her growth. Kubheka grew into the marketing field and enjoyed studying it, which motivated her to further her studies and enrol for her Advanced Diploma. She believed she has grown in the past years both personally and within her field.
The fear of failure motivated her to do well and focus on her studies and she wanted to have her mother and her grandmother the nice life that they deserve. She furthered by saying she cannot wait to celebrate her achievement with her loved ones. She defined her journey at DUT as being absolutely amazing, she made amazing friends who she now considers as family. Although she feels she was robbed of two years of physical interactions because of COVID-19, she enjoyed being a DUT student.
Kubheka is currently serving as an intern at the Corporate Affairs: Marketing, Public Relations and Events unit as part of the Youth Employment Programme. She further gave gratitude to her colleagues in the unit for assisting her and making her special day a reality. Kubheka plans on furthering her studies in future in her marketing field.
“The goal is to keep on going because practice makes perfect. I just want to do better and better and prove to myself that I can do anything I put my mind into,” said Kubheka. She then advised first year students embarking on the same career path to believe in themselves and show the world what they have to offer. “We are all different with ideas and that is what makes us unique. So, we need to embrace that and never forget the end goal. Keep your head held high,” Kubheka advises.
Pictured: Phumelele Kubheka
Photographer: Khulasande Tshayile
Sibahle Ngcobo
