"Thank You God": Hardworking woman celebrates as she bags 2 degrees
- An incredibly determined young woman has wowed Mzansi after obtaining two degrees in the space of one short year
- Sharmaine Sibanda was happy to flex her achievement a little on social media because apparently she often forgets to celebrate her achievements
- Mzansi took to the comments section to show the incredible Sharmaine the love that she deserves
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One incredibly hardworking graduate has finally taken a breath to celebrate her incredible achievements. Sharmaine Sibanda is now a two-time graduate of the University of Pretoria, holding one degree in actuarial science and another in financial engineering.
The talented young woman took to social media to share stunning snaps from her second graduation day. She'd obtained her first actuarial science degree only a year earlier.
In the post, the maths whizz shared she had dreamt of getting her hands on a financial engineering degree since she was only 15 years old, staying up late nights and making difficult subject choices back in high school.
Sharmaine admitted she often forgot to live in the moment and celebrate her success. When Sharmaine got her first degree she really didn't make much of a fuss, but this time mom and dad were definitely not having it.
She writes:
"Naturally (and usually), I am a person that overlooks my own achievements and rushes to achieve the next thing. I don't usually stop and celebrate my efforts. I show up and move on.
"...the plan was to collect the certificate in sweatpants, come back home and get on with my business. But the parents said no."
Sharmaine ended her heartfelt post by reminding Mzansi that it's important to live in the moment, to celebrate all the achievements the you from only a year ago would be so proud to have accomplished:
"In retrospect, that's not a good way to live life. And I am shifting my mindset in that regard. I don't want to keep looking for the next thing and forget to celebrate having what I prayed for."
Mzansi took to the comments section to wish the incredible young woman well on her journey. Check out some of their comments below:
Sithobekile Vundla Musasa:
"That's my baby, congrats hun. You made us proud big sis."
Soneni Mpofu Tee:
"You made us proud my dear."
Shantel Mapuranga:
"Congratulations Sharmaine! I remember you telling me you wanna do financial engineering when we were in Form 3 and you've done just that. We thank God for fulfilling your wishes."
Leo Tee:
"Congratulations old friend, usebenzile... wishing you the best going forward."
Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh previously reported that a stunning woman from the University of Pretoria has just celebrated bagging her BA degree in audiology.
Michèle Schoeman suffered from hearing loss very early in life, so hopes her first-hand experience will only make her a better audiologist. She definitely learnt to put up a good fight at a very tender age.
Schoeman was born with a teratoma, a rare type of tumour, which surgeons removed safely five days after her birth. This graduate is definitely proving our disabilities do not define us. Unfortunately, Schoeman's severe case of jaundice and difficulty breathing as a child ultimately led to other health complications which contributed to her hearing loss.
The tenacious young woman did not let her disability prevent her from participating in life and enthusiastically applied to several universities. Schoeman says she had no idea what she really wanted to study but knew God would put her in the right place:
“I wasn’t sure what to do – what I did know was that my purpose was to serve other people. I shadowed a few professions and the topic of being an audiologist came up. I remember thinking that I would never be interested in audiology: it was hard enough having hearing loss – why would I want to tell others that they have hearing loss?"
"However, in the end, I applied for different courses at different universities and prayed that I would be accepted for the one that I was meant to do. I am very fortunate that I was accepted for audiology at UP. I just knew that it was, and is, the place that God wants me to be.”
Today, Schoeman emphasises that she did not choose to be an audiologist simply because she is deaf. She only wants to give others the help she so dearly needed as a child.
“My hearing loss does not define me – it is only part of who I am. I am an audiologist because I want to give others the help that was given to me; if you cannot participate in a conversation or communicate, that is very lonely and frustrating.”
The inspiring young woman is currently completing her Master's in audiology at the University of Pretoria.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
Nathaniel Crabbe (Human-Interest editor) Nathaniel Crabbe is a journalist and editor with a degree in Journalism from the Ghana Institute of Journalism, where he graduated in 2015. He earned his master's from UPSA in December 2023. Before becoming an editor/writer of political/entertainment and human interest stories at Asaase Radio, Crabbe was a news reporter at TV3 Ghana. With experience spanning over ten years, he now works at YEN.com.gh as a human interest editor. You can reach him via nathaniel.crabbe@yen.com.gh.
Aba Afful (Copyeditor) Maame Aba serves as a copy editor at YEN.com.gh. She naturally enjoys working with words and has an eye for quality content. She has a keen interest in cyberspace and wants to see YEN.com.gh produce more impactful, thought-provoking, and error-free content. Aba has five years of experience as a content writer, blogger, author, and proofreader. She graduated from the Ghana Institute of Journalism in 2017. She joined the team in 2021.