An Education

I was blessed to graduate for my honours degree.  It brought back memories of my first postgraduate year.  Seeing my old classmates reminded me of the valuable time we shared, and how over a span of a year we became friends.  Although this time, things were different.  We were much different.  Not so fresh faced and eager to impress as we were the year before.  We are grounded adults now, and our stories are written on our faces.   

Proverbs 3:13 Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding (NIV)

It has only been a matter of months, but we have already grown into the responsible citizens we were groomed to be.  Our parents looked proud as they watched us engage in adult conversations, “What are you doing these days?”...  “How are things at work?”... “When is the wedding?”... “What is it like living in a different city?”  A year ago we asked different questions, “Did you read the articles for class?”... “How is your research coming along?”... “Do you want to hang out after the last exam?”... “Did you get a job offer yet?”

Those were days we took for granted and now some of us are doing the very things we set out to do, and have found that things in reality are much more difficult to accomplish than in theory.  However, we were inspired with hope to fight for the things we believe in and to stand up for our values, unshakably and relentlessly.  A special moment for me was before I got capped, the acting Vice Chancellor said, “Yey, yey for girl power.”  I was pleased to receive those simple words from a fiery feminist and I will always hold onto them as I endeavour to leave my fingerprint on the world.

Every day since the completion of my studies I have found more reasons to be grateful for my education.  Education liberates you from the only thing withholding your freedom; your mind.  It sets you free from your self-doubt and the limiting ideas of your identity and the path your life will take. 

An education throws you in the company of unlike minds who have tapped into greatness, just as you did when you chose it.  The choice of education is what some people fight to have and what others fight to keep, and the ones who choose to share it find friends.  As I tried to soak up the company of my friends one last time before the rest of our lives, I thought about how their presence made a difference in my life.  I was grateful that these great people shared their education with me. 

I did not just work to receive an honours degree, I gained so much more in that experience and I wish more people would make the choice to fight for their education.  I learnt that an honours degree is not about being awarded the degree, but rather the things you learn in obtaining that degree.  It is not the academic knowledge and understanding you gain, but rather the self-trust and independence you develop.  It is not the positions you get to choose from once you are qualified, but rather the courage to compete for the likes of Oxford and Columbia.  It is not the games or the parties you had to miss, but rather the taste of what it feels like to solve problems through research.  It is not the networking you get to do, but rather the lifelong friendships you seal. 

An education is not a gift reserved for the gifted, but a task that challenges you to hold on a little longer and to push a little further because the pleasure of learning is one of those blessings God sets aside for you to appreciate with moments of “Aaaaah!”