A special graduation

I graduated on the 5th October at Unisa (a distance learning university in South Africa). I generally do not go to graduation ceremonies, but this time decided I had better, largely because I have demanded so much time from my family the last five years.

It was so special. I did not expect to enjoy it, but I did. It was a graduation ceremony situated in Africa with colour and ululating and shouts of appreciation. Unisa attracts people who would not otherwise be able to study, so there were people in their forties and fifties and sixties getting first degrees. It was apparent that every person had a story and the audience appreciated it. Every graduand was applauded for their achievement which had clearly come with struggle and many difficulties. This was not a routine awarding of degrees to young, privileged people who had spent the last few years attending classes and studying; these were degrees awarded to people who had struggled to pay the fees, who held down jobs, who had families and had to study in snatches of time, often spreading the degree over many years. I felt immensely privileged to share the acknowledgement of their success.