For Nikhil Ganas who graduated with a Bachelor of Technology (BTech) in Electrical Engineering (Heavy Current) on Thursday, 06 September 2018 at the Fred Crookes Sport Centre, having a strong desire to make his mother proud was his constant driving force.

“It was my mum, amidst financial difficulties and being a single parent who sacrificed her time, energy and funds in educating my brother and I. My mum motivated, encouraged and told me that only hard work pays off. My mum knew all my lecturers, all my subjects and all the marks I had attained. This shows how much interest she had in my studies,” Ganas said proudly.

Ganas who passed his Electrical Engineering degree Cum Laude says he attributes his academic excellence to his ‘I can do it’ attitude, which is something that he encourages other students to adopt in order to succeed in their studies.

“By just instilling positive attitude in yourself, it makes you want to achieve any goals you desire. I developed this attitude when I started my tertiary studies. I had failed four subjects during my first semester. This was not easy on my mum. The added stress and financial burden placed on my mum, changed my mindset. On that very same day I told my mum that I will never fail another subject again and I will obtain Cum Laude at the end of my BTech studies,” said Ganas.

The Gledhow-born Ganas said staying far away from campus was a huge challenge that he had to overcome during his studies. “I live approximately 200 km to and from DUT. The biggest challenge was traveling to campus.  I traveled to campus by bus and taxi. Most times there were roadblocks and accidents on the road which delayed me for three hours. It was a huge stress knowing I was going to be late for a lecture or test. To overcome this, I had to leave home at least three hours in advance,” he said.

Using skills that he has acquired from the Durban University of Technology (DUT), Ganas says he also plans to give back to his community by providing tuitions for underprivileged students in Mathematics and Physics because he understands the importance of good education.

Ganas said he is currently seeking employment following completion of his studies. “After attaining employment I will register as a Candidate Engineer with the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA). I also plan to complete my Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering during my second year of employment,” he said.

Pictured: Nikhil Ganas

Nduduzo Ndlovu