Hard work has paid off for Joel Mundie (25) who graduated Cum Laude with his BTech in Quantity Surveying at the Durban University of Technology’s (DUT’s) 2022 Virtual Autumn Graduation today, Friday, 13 May 2022.
Mundie from Queensburgh was among the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment graduands who were honoured for their academic excellence. He said the added motivation from working pushed his studying capability as he was wanted to succeed at both respectively.
“Obtaining Cum Laude has always been a dream of mine. I feel every person studying a course always aims for that but the difference in my case is that I didn’t know I was capable of it until I had received good marks in the courses that many would regard as difficult. As time went on, by the end of BTech, I really felt in tune with my field of studying and Cum Laude became a result of my knowledge in the field rather than the actual target,” said Mundie, speaking about his achievement.
He referred to Quantity Surveying as a field of study that complements his personality and character so well. Mundie believes construction is the backbone of any economy worldwide, therefore he plans to use his career to push his society forward.
He is looking forward to DUT’s physical graduation and he is crossing fingers for a perfect weather on his physical graduation day. He indicated that he was ecstatic when DUT confirmed that there will be a physical graduation in July 2022 as he graduated virtually for his Diploma.
Sharing what helped him to excel in his studies Mundie said: “I’m a person that questions everything and I wasn’t afraid to ask questions about things I don’t understand. When I was provided with answers from my lecturers, it never left me, even up to this day. All in all, I must say that no student should carry the baggage of uncertainty going further into a module, as it can grow into a complete loss of progress.”
He advised first year students in his field to really love what they do and never be discouraged is they are low to understand as when they finally get the hang of things, they will be capable more than they believe. He also encouraged the students to network, build sustainable, positive connections with people as this will help them in the long run.
Pictured: Joel Mundie
Simangele Zuma
