Moloantoa graduates with 25 distinctions

Palesa Moloantoa

Palesa Moloantoa's academic success resonates with Robert Fulghum's quote, "Don't worry that children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you." Graduating with distinctions in Unisa's Bachelor of Consumer Science was a proud moment for her and her family. She lauded her mother and sister for demonstrating hard work in their household.

Her mother, Joyce Moloantoa, was thrilled on graduation day to witness that her daughter's hard-earned work was acknowledged. "My daughter's degree had 30 modules, and of 30, she got 25 distinctions," said the proud mother. The degree was completed in three years, which pressured Moloantoa to tackle intense deadlines and schoolwork. "I took five modules per semester; it was challenging and lonely —however, I had to make the most of quiet times at home to achieve my academic goal."

Growing up in a family of women pushed Moloantoa to aspire for more. She admired her mother's work ethic as a single parent and observed her big sister working hard and getting good grades at school. Seeing her mother's award pictures in the dining room daily inspired her to be a top student.

Before registering with Unisa in 2020, Moloantoa was accepted into one of South Africa's residential universities in 2019. However, she decided to pause after realising she had chosen the wrong degree for her career aspirations. After careful consideration, she chose Unisa because she did not want the pressure of constantly attending classes. Instead, she wanted a model like Unisa's, as she desired to balance academic work and life.  

Though Molantoa's academic life was lonely, with less human interaction, she had to learn to be disciplined. "It is hard to make friends in a distance university; you become bound to the house and watch your laptop the whole time." She added: "You need a lot of internal motivation as a Unisa student." She continued: "I had to keep a diary to know my study schedules and to be accurate in my schoolwork."

During her studies, Moloantoa enjoyed being an independent student. The only thing that bothered her was how distance university could be invisible to friends and family. "No one knows what you are doing. Your family forgets that you're a student, and neighbours think you're locking yourself and doing nothing in the house," she said. "But the lonesome journey pays off at the end once you walk across the stage to collect your degree."

Moloantoa chose Unisa's Bachelor of Consumer Science because it was broad and not confining. "I have always loved science, but this time, I did not want all my modules to be predominantly scientific," she explained. Her academic success was possible because of her mother and the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). "My mom always puts us first; she funded fully for my first year and bought all textbooks. Then, NSFAS started paying from the second year until I completed my studies," she said.

Relating the significance of her surname−Moloantoa, Sesotho, for  'one who is a fighter,' she explained that she had to fight to get her degree in flying colours. She encouraged: "Often, life requires us to fight."

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*By Lesego Chiloane-Ravhudzulo, Journalist, Department of Institutional Advancement