From almost not even registering at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) to loving every moment of her studies, Derina Krishna obtained the prestigious Dean’s Merit award for her commitment to her studies.
The 21-year-old Marketing student from Morningside, graduated with her National Diploma in Marketing, also obtaining prestigious Dean’s Merit Award from DUT in Durban on 10 May 2018.
Krishna feels honoured knowing that she is now seen as an inspiration to other students. “I felt an overwhelming rush of excitement and joy. It took a few seconds for me to register that I will be receiving the Dean’s Merit award as I only ever dreamt of it and never thought it was actually possible,” she said excitedly.
She began her career at DUT in 2015 where she was a late applicant. She had initially only applied to the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) and was accepted there. However, during the December holidays she decided to do some research and came across the DUT Marketing brochure which immediately caught her attention and really appealed to her. “I felt as if I had personally met all the criteria of a future marketer. It was at that point that I had realised DUT was the right place for me. With the help of my friends, my mum , a meeting was arranged with Prof Penciliah, who then interviewed me and accepted me into the Marketing Department,” she added.
From first year to third year, she professed that she had absolutely loved every single lecture. Krishna knew that from the first lecture that she had chosen the right field of study. “My first-year lecturers were very motivating and inspiring. They always went the extra mile for our lectures. I appreciated the fact that all our classes were small in size as this allowed the lecturers to engage with each student on a one on one basis and ensure we were on track with our work. With my lecturers’ motivation and encouragement, I worked extremely hard and achieved my goal results,” she said.
At times though, Krishna stressed that it became difficult to juggle family time with being a student. However, she always placed priority on her studies even if it meant her missing family functions or not attending a day out with her friends. “I knew what mattered most to me and at the end of the day there was no better feeling in the world than achieving good marks on my tests or assignments,” said Krishna.
Having her mum as her role model, Krishna drew her inspiration and reiterated that she would like to one day be an independent and successful woman just like her.
Krishna is very keen to go abroad and make a living in an overseas country such as Amsterdam and work as a marketer for a well-reputed company. She is currently a full-time Btech student in Marketing and would ultimately like to achieve her Master’s degree in Marketing and make an absolute success of her career in the field.
Her advice to would-be marketing students is that it is a wonderful and exciting field of study. “Although I have not started working as yet, I know the opportunities are unlimited and can take to you to different parts of the world. You have to work very hard and be committed and dedicated to your studies in order to make a success of this career but the results of your hard work will be most rewarding,” she said.
Pictured: Derina Krishna
Waheeda Peters
