Randeka Nghonyama a 64-year-old woman obtained her National Diploma in Electrical Engineering during the Tshwane University of Technology’s Spring Graduations.

Nghonyama returned to high school at the age of 40, after dropping out in her youth.

In a Facebook post, the university shared Nghonyama’s inspiring story and it proved that no one’s dreams are invalid regardless of race, age or gender. At the age of 43 the woman graduated from high school and decided to take her education a notch higher.

Nghonyama initially wanted to become a nurse but did not qualify even after enrolling in several nursing colleges.She then decided to apply to TUT’s Electrical Engineering Programme in 2003 and was accepted.

It took the now-graduate 16 years to complete her studies but she did not once give up on her dreams. Her journey to graduation was far from easy and Nghonyama had to overcome several struggles including financial difficulties, attending classes with younger people and failing modules as a result of her age.

In 2010, she decided to take a much-needed break from her studies, only having one subject left to do. Nghonyama decided to register for her final subject in 2017.

“I wanted to prove to myself that despite coming from a tough childhood, I can do anything I put my mind to. As the older generation, we must go out and attain new skills, while the younger generation should keep pushing us,” said Nghonyama.

Credit: tuko.co.ke