Paheja Siririka

Graduates should not fear failure but be terrified of regret now that they have gotten their qualifications and are ready to take on the world and join the working class.

Agriculturalist Helvi Shindume said this while speaking at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) graduation ceremony, which saw about 2 400 students obtain their qualifications in various fields of study.

“You will sit in 100 different interviews and you will not get the job. Do not give up, because giving up is the birth of regret. After today, you will receive a lot of doors shut or slammed in your face,” she said, encouraging youth to be prepared for a world full of rejections more than opportunities. 

Shindume added: “The reality is we will fail and fall but what I want to ask of you today is not to take ‘no’ for an answer. So, today, I challenge you to fight, to work, to not stop here and to believe so heavenly in your aspirations and your dreams.”

She said Namibia is a country full of challenges but she sees challenges as opportunities.

“I would like to encourage you to see those challenges as opportunities because it means there is an opportunity for you to [do] good and to fill that gap.”

Shindume, who is currently studying for an honours degree in agribusiness, founded the Women in Agriculture Namibia organisation to strengthen the recognition of women’s contribution to agriculture, and encourage and empower more women
to take part in agriculture.

“The focus is on networking, information sharing, training and coordinating innovative projects. This organisation that I have established was inspired by the notion or the belief that I am identifying the wide gaps in our society that exists, that need to be filled and it’s about making sure that your passion and your purpose meets with the wide gap that you have identified.”

- psiririka@nepc.com.na