Fort Hare clerk, 62, fulfils unimaginable dream of graduating
Forty-five years after matriculating, Richard Scott, a senior clerk at the University of Hare’s Honeydale Research Farm in Dikeni (Alice), has obtained a university degree.
The 62-year-old graduated last week with a Bachelor of Administration in Public Administration degree, becoming the first graduate in his family.
“Walking across that stage, enrobed in my academic regalia, being capped by the vicechancellor, and then congratulated by the registrar, has been an almost unimaginable dream which I had long given up on.
“And yet, God willing, that is the scene that played out during the University of Fort Hare 2023 May graduation,” Scott said.
He completed his matric in 1978 and though he obtained the required results to study further, his family’s financial circumstances did not permit him to do so.
“My folks simply could not afford to send me to a tertiary institution to further my studies,” Scott said.
“I made peace with it and got on with life the best way I could.
“I ventured into a technical career path, very far removed from any academic nuances, and I worked as I could to support my family.”
However, almost by a stroke of fate, years later, he got a job managing the print room at Fort Hare.
“This move jolted my life into a new direction as I had to work with academics daily.
“Once again, that gnawing feeling of having missed out on what I really wanted to do was starting to rear its head.
“To cut a very long story short, between being the victim of retrenchment, taking on piecemeal jobs to put food on the table and at times being berated and ridiculed by some colleagues in these places of employment, I knew deep down that something better was heading my way.
“To my delight, I became temporarily employed at the exams office at UFH and I witnessed hundreds of students graduate every year.
“I had no doubt that this was what I wanted too.”
In 2020, he enrolled for the Bachelor of Public Administration
qualification, while he was working full-time.
“Basically, I went back to the world of studying after 42 years, during which time I had barely read a book.
“It was very daunting at first when I discovered the extent of the reading and preparation one had to do as a student, but I was not going to be deterred.
“That was also the year in which Covid-19 turned our lives topsy turvy, so I had to learn very quickly how to navigate online learning and assessments.
“It was a challenge, a complete paradigm shift, but we got through it.”
Last year, his wife took ill and had to be admitted to hospital for a while, which added to the pressure as he tried to keep up with his studies.
“The final challenge was the complete 180-degree turnaround which was implemented in the very last semester of our three-year experience as students, when it was decided to return to contact teaching and learning, and experiencing writing exams physically at the sports centre.
“Talk about another paradigm shift.”
Despite all the obstacles, Scott passed every one of his modules, even getting distinctions in some.
“This would not have been possible without the advice and assistance I received from a very loving, supportive family and awesome, dedicated and driven lecturers and fellow students.
“Many of my friends and family members are very proud of my achievement but I am the proudest because I know first-hand the challenges I endured to achieve the end goal.
“This has been my epic journey to graduation.
“It’s my story, which I hope will encourage and motivate older ones and say to them in particular — I am living proof that with effort, prayer and support, anything is possible!”