Let’s face it, studying is hard work, but it is also incredibly rewarding. To stay the course, it not only requires focus, determination and perseverance, but motivation. So, for some extra encouragement to study hard and reach your goals, read the real-life story of a fellow student, Marara Raphadu, and how her single mother inspired her to achieve success.
Her inspiration to study
Marara Raphadu is an iQ Academy graduate who found her inspiration to study from her 62-year-old single mother, who became a registered nurse despite many hardships and challenges. Her mom showed her by her lives’ example that hard work, determination and belief in oneself are keys to success and achieving your dreams.
Marara’s mom, a single mother of 5 children, had no matric and started working as a domestic worker. Unfortunately, she lost this job but was able to find work as a cleaner at a hospital. Through hard work and determination, she was soon promoted to nurse’s assistant, yet her dream to be a nurse compelled her to enrol for Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET) classes, and eventually, she studied nursing. Although she is n0w a retired nurse, she has given her children a great example to follow.
“To me, it’s a success story of a single mother who managed to do it all on her own and run a family. I am still inspired by her strength.”
Gleaning strength from her mom’s example, Marara decided to pursue her studies with iQ Academy as she explains: “To me, it’s a success story of a single mother who managed to do it all on her own and run a family. I am still inspired by her strength.
How did you balance work/ family demands with studying?
It’s not easy to balance work and family demands while studying. I have an 8-year-old daughter and I had a challenging career in the corporate world. I used to take my lunch break at work and read a chapter of my course work just to familiarise myself with a topic for that day. I also used my weekends to study, whilst my mom took care of my daughter.
Tell us about your toughest day as an iQ Academy student. What did you do to overcome that?
My toughest day whilst studying at iQ Academy came when I lost my job, I thus became severely depressed and had to be hospitalised. Added to this was the fear and anxiety about my future and how I was going to take care of myself and my daughter and keep other financial obligations, including my study fees.
“I want to encourage other students to never give up on something you really want and to just go for it. The reward, in the end, is worth it.”
My mom encouraged and supported me, and I could gradually pick myself up and continue with my studies. I was studying a Higher Certificate in Business Management, so I applied the knowledge gained for example, how to develop a great business plan, to start my own catering business, which then, in turn, paid for my tuition fees and I could support myself again.
How do you see your future now that you have achieved this goal?
I’m very happy with the decision I made to study with iQ Academy and I’m excited that they now offer a Diploma in Business Management, which I want to enrol for in due time. I loved studying with iQ Academy, as the course was very manageable to do whilst working and I received all the study support I needed. I want to encourage other students to never give up on something you really want and to just go for it. The reward, in the end, is worth it.
