Raise your standards, change your limiting beliefs, model strategies that work, intensify your emotions and give much more than you expect to receive.

These were the five principles given to the 361 soon to be graduates of the Applied Sciences Faculty at DUT during the Faculty’s graduation ceremony. This was the first graduation ceremony at the Durban Centre.

Dressed in suits, killer heels and glamour dresses, just to name a few, students went all out to show just how seriously they regard the special occasion which, for many, symbolizes the reaping of fruit sowed over three or more years.

Mary-Ann Mosoeunyane; Skills Planning Manager at the Food and Beverage SETA (Sector Education and Training Authority), who was the guest speaker at the ceremony urged graduands to live their dreams with passion and respect, saying that the direction they take will determine their destiny.

The Food and Beverage SETA currently has a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with DUT which, among others, supports placement of students into relevant companies.

Sharing the aforementioned principles “to live by” with the graduands, Mosoeunyane said embracing them (the principles) would ensure that they rise to become leaders in their respective sectors. Reiterating the fourth principle (intensify your emotions), she urged graduands to never give up during difficult times in their careers.

“Very often the corporate world will respond with a ‘no’ (when graduands are seeking jobs), and why are they saying no? This is mainly because they (employers) don’t understand that you know the ‘how’ part of the theory learning. I’m passionate about experiential learning. Go out there and practice what you’ve learned so you can be absorbed by the labor market,” she said.

She also paid tribute to parents for their hard work and sacrifice in educating their children.

Professor Ahmed Bawa; DUT Vice-Chancellor and Principal said it has been 20 years since the dawn of democracy in the country, adding that South Africa could no longer think of itself as a new democracy. He said the country’s citizens need to understand that there is a responsibility attached to every right attained in 1994.

“We hope that you will stand up to tyranny and keep actively engaged in the communities in which you are embedded,” said Prof Bawa.

– Sinegugu Ndlovu

Pictured: The graduands at the Applied Sciences Faculty graduation ceremony earlier today.