One of the sweetest feelings that a student can ever experience is passing their exams. But graduating takes the cake, that feeling of accomplishment that you get inside when you are holding your qualification in your hands is one of a kind.
If ever you wanted proof that hard work pays off, this time of the year is the perfect opportunity to see it live. Graduations galore!
It’s a time for celebration and joy, some students and parents are so happy that they express their joy with tears, it’s so beautiful and a tad bit emotional. Believe me, you wouldn’t want to miss it for anything. Even the President of the nation makes time to grace us with his presence.
I believe graduating is one of the ultimate ways to repay those that invested in your education, from the very first time you entered daycare or kindergarten all the way to the unpredictable tertiary institutions. It’s not just for you and your family, but for those that built the institutions, maintain them and of course our dear teachers and lecturers, who at times don’t get the credit they so much deserve.
So much time and effort is put into education so that the youth and the country have some well-educated professionals. From the government’s side this is reflected in their finances – every year the money allocated to education in the national budget increases and every few years the curriculum is revised and upgraded, all with the aim of making sure that the graduates produced are of high quality and international standard.
The parents and guardians’ contribution to a graduate is immeasurable, apart from the fact that they gave them life, they have also been constant in their children’s education, playing the role of a silent educator, a financer and an unwavering pillar of support. Judging from the expressions on their faces, they might be much happier and prouder than the graduate themselves.
Then, of course, there is you. The graduate, the star of the moment. You went through years of mental and physical torture (the good kind) and at times probably faced more uncertainty than you knew possible, but you endured and now you are the proud owner of a qualification, congratulations!
Moments like this are what brings joy to the nation; graduating is the ultimate way to pay back all the investment put into your education and is a sign that not all is lost. We all celebrate with the graduates, but the moment belongs to you. Congratulations on your achievement!
*Olavi Popyeinawa has a diploma in alternative dispute resolution and is currently studying law, LLB at the University of Namibia. He writes on youth matters. Find him on Instagram: niceguy_olavi, Facebook: Olavi Longfellow and Twitter: @Olavi Popyeinawa.