by Kelly Long
Namhla Tukulu is one of almost 50 GADRA Matric School (GMS) alumni who has gone on to study at Rhodes University, and who will graduate this week.
Tukulu, who also attended Mary Waters High School, is receiving her third qualification from Rhodes University (RU) since she successfully upgraded her national senior certificate at GMS in 2015.
Having completed her Bachelor of Social Sciences in 2020 and her Honours degree in Psychology in 2021, Tukulu went on to study a Post Graduate Certificate in Education. She graduates on 29 March.
“My year at the GADRA Matric School was really important in a lot of ways. When I was in High School, I wasn’t the sort of person who had self-discipline. I feel like GMS really taught me how to organise my time and priorities. It also helped with transitioning from high school to university” Tukulu said.
She took part in the GMS/RU mentoring programme and because she had a mentor who an RU student, she was familiar with what would be expected of her at university, Tukulu says.
“I think that year also helped me to mature a lot. When I went to university, I had the maturity to make informed decisions and not to get distracted from my studies”, Tukulu added.
She did not have the opportunity to enjoy her first two graduations, which took place during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I am looking forward to being able to walk across the real stage for the first time, to feel the joy and excitement, and to celebrate together with all of the people who supported me through my studies, including my GADRA family”, says Tukulu.
“GADRA prides itself on designing and implementing programmes which both create opportunities for local disadvantaged youth to access tertiary studies and which, develop academic skills and dispositions that enable success at university level. The hard work and dedication graduating GMS alumni and their families have shown towards their studies is celebrated with a great sense of shared pride and joy”, the school says.
(Kelly Long is Research and Communications Manager at GADRA).
