For three months during her first year, Peace Nene, a DUT Radiography: Ultrasound student struggled to find accommodation.

Instead of focusing on her studies and learning to adjust to university life, she often found herself missing lectures and using that time to look for accommodation. 

However, Nene graduated cum laude for her National Diploma in Radiography: Ultrasound yesterday, 19 April 2016, at 18h00.

The lack of accommodation has been found by research to be a contributing factor to students dropping out of university, and universities throughout South Africa are faced with this ever-increasing problem.   

“I was only able to move into residence in March (of my first year). My home is in Pietermaritzburg so I stayed with my uncle in Newlands while I looked for accommodation.  I often arrived in class late in the morning because I was stuck in traffic because of my daily commute from Newlands to campus. I also had to miss some lectures because I had to focus on finding accommodation. But I was able to catch-up on my studies. I hardly enjoyed my weekends as they were dedicated to studying to make up for loss time”, she said.

Apart from her problems with accommodation and learning to adjust to a new curriculum, Nene said she enjoyed her stay at DUT. She said she received a lot of guidance from her lecturers who always paid positive attention to her as a student.

Her next plan is to try and enroll for a medical degree. “I’m very happy to graduate with a cum laude. I feel as if my dream has come true and I’m proud of myself. I want to do my BTech but I want to try for a degree in medicine first”, said Nene, saying she will throw a huge party as celebration for her academic achievement.

– Sinegugu Ndlovu

Pictured: Peace Nene