After she started working as a cleaner in 2015, this 32-year-old never dreamed that she would one day grace the stage at her very own graduation, let alone at the very same university where she scrubbed the floors for seven years.
Today, after four years of hard work and intense multi-tasking, Thunyelwa Godongwana is a logistics graduate, having completed both her undergraduate diploma and advanced diploma in logistics, thus attending two graduations.
Godongwana, who hails from Tsomo in the Eastern Cape, faced many challenges in life and had to put her own future plans on hold and find a job to support her family when she finished school.
“Having delayed my own academic progression, and instead securing a job to help my family financially, was not easy, but I don’t regret this. It was for the family as a whole,” the proud graduate said.
She explained that she moved to Nelson Mandela Bay to live with her aunt and started working as a cleaner with the previously outsourced service at Supercare.
Ironically, following the #FeesMustFall movement, Godongwana received the opportunity to study for free, after the university called for in-sourcing and she became a permanent employee seven years ago.
“I will not lie and say that the journey was an easy one, as balancing full-time employment and studies was hard, but I was determined to succeed.
“I was a cleaner at the university, starting in 2015 and continuing to the present. It helped me because it has been my dream to study at Nelson Mandela University. Fortunately, #FeesMustFall happened and I got an opportunity to study. I still work at Nelson Mandela University,” she said.
“As I previously stated, juggling full-time employment and studies is difficult. It has been a challenge working daily from 07:00 to 15:00 at South Campus and catching the university shuttle to 2nd Avenue Campus was tiring, but I told myself that giving up was not an option. I committed myself and dedicated all my time to my books,” Godongwana added.
“I learnt that working hard and keeping a positive attitude is an ideal. I also have experienced the truth in the saying that one’s background does not determine one’s future,” Godongwana said.
“I am excited and the excitement in me is unexplainable. I can’t believe that I graduated in record time.” According to Godongwana, she also had to deal with anxiety and kept questioning herself on whether or not she would be able to finish the course.
“People were sceptical that I, as someone who had started from the bottom as a cleaner, would obtain a university qualification, but here I am. I’m a whole graduate.
“I have a dream of owning a logistics company one day.
“I would love to gain as much practical experience as possible in this field, so that when I venture into my own thing I will do so with the necessary confidence,” she said.
When asked to provide other struggling potential graduates with advice, she said that education was a wise investment, but it did not come cheap because you must put in the effort.
“I recommend contacting any university’s financial aid office, as they will be able to provide you with a list of potential financial help. Part-time employment, including waitressing and cleaning, is do-able.
“Roy T. Bennett said: ‘Don’t be pushed around by the fears in your mind; be led by the dreams in your heart’,” she concluded.
