Looking back at my three years in university…

University life has been a long and difficult journey but, in the end, it has been rewarding. From difficulty in getting funding, pressures from home to then seeing the fruits of my hard work, it has totally been worth the sweat and tears.

My journey to getting into university has not been easy. l have had to work for my school fees in the United States of America as a masseuse on a cruise ship for nine months. When l got my acceptance into the University of the Witwatersrand, I had ambiguous feelings. Firstly, l was happy that my journey was only beginning and secondly, I was also worried if l had worked hard enough to have money to pay off school fees for the duration of my degree.

Being an international student comes with its own difficulties such as finding funding in South Africa. Most funding is for South African citizens and there is barely any funding for undergraduate international students. This made my university experience more difficult as l had to find jobs throughout my studies to make ends meet on were l was lagging behind financially.

Academically there were pressures from my family as everyone was looking at me to produce good results, and also how to juggle work and school. My family did not (and still don’t) understand the weight it had on me mentally and emotionally. With the sacrifices that l have put in to get where l am, l try to rise above every obstacle that comes my way. I cannot say that my university life has always been tears… there are moments that l have smiled and rejoiced. Like the moment that l got academic recognition for being in the top 15% of my faculty. l have been able to get jobs, that not only helped me on my financial shortfalls but jobs that also helped to advance my career.

From my three years in iniversity, I can say I have had different challenges that have come my way and l am proud of where I have come from and excited to see what the future holds. I am still waiting on my third-year final results and hoping to pursue my Honours in Developmental Studies and International Relations. I am hopeful that in the future there would be more funding for students (including international students) that deserve it. Hard work always pays off and l have seen this through my journey. This is not the end of my journey, still I rise.