Years of hard work, sacrifice and perseverance culminated in celebration as the University of South Africa (Unisa) opened its Spring Graduation, with graduates and their families gathering to mark academic journeys that, for some, had been anything but easy.

Opening the graduation ceremony, Unisa Principal and Vice-Chancellor Prof Puleng LenkaBula reminded graduates that the occasion represented more than receiving a qualification. With their education, she said, came a responsibility to help shape the society around them.

"Today we gather not only to celebrate your academic achievements, but to recognise the emergence of a generation entrusted with shaping the future," LenkaBula said.

She told graduates that their qualifications had equipped them to interrogate complexity, challenge assumptions and contribute meaningfully to society.

Quoting Ghana's first president and independence leader Kwame Nkrumah, she said: "We prefer self-government with danger to servile tranquillity."

For graduates preparing to cross the stage, the message carried particular meaning. Behind the gowns, photographs and celebrations were individual stories of setbacks overcome, sacrifices made and years spent working towards a moment that had finally arrived.

Kobo Muwampi Sabangu celebrates graduating with a Master of Commerce (MCom) in Business Management.

Among those celebrating was Kobo Muwampi Sabangu, who graduated with a Master of Commerce (MCom) in Business Management.

For Sabangu, receiving her master's degree marked the end of an academic journey she described as difficult.

"My journey has been a very, very hard journey. To be where I am today, it wasn't easy at all," she said.

Yet she kept going.

The challenges that accompanied her studies made reaching the graduation stage all the more significant. What had once been a difficult journey was now a completed master’s degree and an achievement she could celebrate with those who had supported her.

Her advice to students still navigating their own academic challenges was equally straightforward.

"Don’t give up. You have to hang in there and push," Sabangu said.

For Dimbanyika Ndivho Forgiveness, who graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA), crossing the stage carried significance beyond her own achievement.

She became the first graduate in her family.

After a challenging academic journey, the graduation ceremony became a shared milestone for Dimbanyika and the family members who had watched and supported her along the way.

"It was so hard and I’m so happy, so excited," she said.

The moment was an emotional one for her family, who were able to celebrate not only her degree but what it represented for them collectively.

Dimbanyika said setbacks should not persuade students to abandon their ambitions.

"Don't give up. Even if you fail, keep pushing," she said.

Sabangu and Dimbanyika arrived at graduation having followed different academic paths. One completed a master's degree in business management, while the other became the first person in her family to earn a university qualification.

Yet their stories were connected by a common experience: neither described the road to graduation as easy.

Their accounts also gave personal meaning to LenkaBula's message to graduates. A university qualification may mark the completion of a course of study, but what graduates do with the knowledge, resilience and experience accumulated along the way will shape what comes next.

As Unisa's Spring Graduation season continues, thousands more graduates will cross the stage to receive qualifications of their own.

Each will arrive with a different story.

For Sabangu and Dimbanyika, however, the message from the opening day was clear: difficulty did not have to mean defeat.

After years of pushing through the challenges, graduation was their moment to celebrate having made it to the other side.

* By Noxolo Miya, Journalist, Department of Institutional Advancement