Being applauded for passing his Advanced Diploma with flying colours was the highlight of Thirushen Govender’s graduation. He graduated Cum Laude for his Advanced Diploma at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) Autumn Graduation ceremony at the Olive Convention Centre earlier today (Friday, 24 May 2024).
Govender (21) from Sheffield Beach expressed his excitement on graduating Cum Laude.
“I cannot put into words the excitement I experienced after finding out that I will be graduating Cum Laude. I still look back on day one when my lecturer explained what a Cum Laude was in my first year of study and I made a promise to myself that no matter how difficult it was to obtain it. I told myself that I would one day achieve that goal. With hard work and determination I had done so,” shared Govender.
His DUT journey at DUT started back in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, after enrolling for a Diploma in Accounting. At first, he indicated that the whole scenario was overwhelming, being fresh out of high school and having to adapt to a new environment was difficult and scary. It was not easy but he progressed further his my online journey and became more settled and comfortable with his surroundings and environment.
“We thereafter moved back to on campus, face to face teaching and learning which I feel benefitted me the most in my entire journey at DUT. I got to finally be physically engaged with my studies and meet my colleagues and lecturers which made my study experience feel like a more authentic one. I am grateful to my lecturers for all the hard work they put in to help us achieve our dreams that we set out to accomplish. I still remember all the late nights of studying and hard work so vividly, which made achieving the high grades in my tests and exams more satisfying and enjoyable,” added Govender.
He felt his study journey at DUT provided him with the ideal framework to reach his full potential and discover new things about himself, it also allowed him to improve as a an individual and sore to new heights.
Speaking on some of the challenges he faced, Govender said: “Being an introvert I always struggled to communicate with others effectively. With meeting so many new people and being in a new environment I struggled a little especially in group assignments, however I was able to strengthen my weaknesses and even ended up being group leader for majority of my group projects.”
He is planning to study further to complete his Advanced Diploma, and eventually his Honour’s and Master’s in Accounting. His desire is to one day become a financial manager at a corporate company.
Pictured: Thirushen Govender.
Simangele Zuma
