Siblings Thobile and Nqobile Hadebe both received honours degrees cum laude from the University of Pretoria (UP), and are ready to make their mark in society.

Thobile graduated with a Bachelor of Education (BEd) in FET with Psychology in 2019, and an honours degree in Educational Psychology in 2020, cum laude. Nqobile completed her BSocSci (Hons) Psychology in 2020 cum laude and is set to graduate in this year’s graduation ceremony, which will be online owing to COVID-19 regulations.

The sisters, who hail from Orange Farm in Johannesburg, both agree that the role of alumni is to give back to society. “As alumni, we can find ways to put into effect the knowledge and skills we have acquired from our alma mater towards the betterment of society,” they say.

Nqobile, who is a news reader at a community radio station in Mamelodi, is excited to take the next step as a newly graduated honours student. “For me, the qualification not only means I have moved a step closer towards realising my goals, but that I can employ them to give back to the communities that have shaped me into the person I am.”

Her upcoming graduation is all the more momentous when she thinks back to some of the hurdles she had to overcome during her studies – the unfamiliar circumstances presented by the COVID-19 pandemic being a case in point. Nqobile found herself having to study from home where there was no electricity at the time; she also did not always have sufficient data to attend virtual lectures or access online content. “Constantly reminding myself of the ‘why’ and ‘for whom’ it was that I was studying motivated me significantly,” she says. “I kept the end goal in sight, irrespective of the challenges I faced.”

A particularly significant challenge that both sisters faced was the death of their father. Yet in the face of family tragedy and in the midst of an unprecedented pandemic, they kept going.

For Thobile, a teacher at Cedarwood School in Midrand and a private tutor on weekends, some of the highlights of her time at UP included being nominated for Golden Key membership; receiving a few achievement awards during her undergraduate studies, a Merit Award in her honours year, as well as academic honorary colours; and graduating cum laude.

Thobile adds that UP was particularly helpful in preparing her to enter the world of work. “I subscribed to the Career Services email service, which helped me to draft my CV according to the job requirements and taught me how to conduct myself in interviews.” She says that one of the first things she mentions in interviews is that she is a UP graduate; this is because of the rankings and reputation of the University. “Half the job is done by mentioning that.”