The Durban University of Technology’s (DUT’s) 20-year-old Thabo Dlamini, is honoured and humbled to have achieved his Diploma in Management Sciences: Business Administration with Cum Laude, and will be graduating at the Durban University of Technology’s (DUT’s) Virtual Graduation ceremony on Wednesday, 10 June 2020.
“My first thought was that a small boy like me, from a very small village, could never be able to accomplish such an achievement, I was in disbelief but at the same time I felt honoured and humbled. I consider my academic achievements to be life-changing experiences given that they enhanced my CV, thereby creating boosted opportunities for me in the working world,” he said.
Even though he is sad and disappointed that there is no physical graduation, he is looking forward to the virtual graduation ceremony. “It is a great way to acknowledge our accomplishments while still being aware of COVID-19 regulations,” he said.
The road of studying for Dlamini was also faced with some challenges. He almost dropped out in 2017, as he could not register for the second semester because he had outstanding fees and had no funding at the time. “However, with the grace of God I was able to register and continue with my studies. The one thing you need in university is emotional and physical support. When my grandmother passed away, I lost all of that, to a point where I even lost my mind. I was alone after that because my grandmother was my biggest support system, my confidante and cheer leader,” he said sadly.
Dlamini said that the toughest part of being a student is dealing with so many struggles (financial, emotional and psychological) together at once whilst being under pressure of succeeding academically.
“Looking back at where I come from, the majority of the youth are struggling because they didn’t get the privilege to study further. So when I was awarded an opportunity of getting education, I grabbed it with both hands,” he said.
Dlamini is currently working towards obtaining his Advanced Diploma in Management Sciences: Business Administration. He also plans to do his MBA Degree. “I want to be a registrar of any higher institute of learning one day and I believe the successful completion of my Diploma has taken me a step further towards reaching those goals. I also want to study further until I obtain my DBA which is my Doctor of Business Administration,” he said.
His advice to future DUT students who wish to pursue the same career path as him is to work very hard, be consistent and most importantly pay more attention to Financial Management, since it’s one of the most challenging modules. “The workload becomes very challenging, so time management becomes a necessity,” he said.
Pictured: Thabo Dlamini
Waheeda Peters
