1. What impact has GradStar had on your life in 2019?
The GradStar awards have started up conversations with people that I normally wouldn't have conversations with. It has a certain quality that makes for recognition of the award to be evident. There are people who are starting to realise my potential and my capacity to be an agent of change, which is very helpful to my cause in the long haul. Although it's only a week later, I feel as though having gone through the process of getting into the GradStar Awards has already helped me grow as a young professional. I'm beginning to see the world differently and that's something I appreciate. The most exciting thing is meeting people who appear interested in the jobs that they do. It's inspiring to know that the end of the journey doesn't look so rough.
2. How do you stay motivated and on track with your studies?
I went into university because I needed to have a degree so that people could take me more seriously as an multi-skilled entrepreneur. I'm a digital marketing specialist and so knowing which steps I need to take to get to where I want to is very critical in the decisions I make. Having a clear vision for what I want my future to be like is incredibly crucial when it comes to retaining motivation. I've learnt that if all you can see is what you want, all the obstacles will just serve as a stepping stone to getting there. I remember that I'm trying to move mountains, and it's a lot easier to do that with a degree. It also helps to love what you study. The thing about a bachelor's degree is that the intensity is most when you're in your final year. This is when you might run out of steam or find that this obstacle may be the one that breaks you. But, if you remember that there are other tasks to tackle after making it through the current one, then you can't lose track of how to get there. The key is doing what you love. The trick is figuring out what you love.
3. What drives you to excel in your studies?
The young people that look up to me. At a young age, I was made aware that whether or not I liked it, there would always be a younger generation looking up to me. Ever since then I've been making it a conscious effort to give the younger generation something to aspire to. The further I progress in my studies, the more confident I am that the following generation will have a benchmark to work from, and to subsequently excel from as well. I talk a big game, and what helps is that I have the grades or the track record to back me and my claims. Before I make the claims, though, I ensure that I can achieve the goals I want those looking up to me to achieve as well. Although failure, is allowed and sometime encouraged, reflection of that failure is where the emphasis lies. Remembering that I want others to do better than what I do, I need to set the bar as high as I possibly can.
4. Will you recommend GradStar to other students? Why/Why not?
I would recommend GradStar to other students and I still do. I feel as though the tests leading up to the Top 100 were very necessary for us students. There was a lot of introspection necessary for the assessments and that can help a very large amount of people learn to do it for themselves and others around them. Although there is a lot more to offer, I just like that they help you understand parts of yourself that aren't always highlighted, but is very important. Specifically qualities that are outside of academics.
5. What are your plans for 2020?
Graduating next semester is the first objective. The following will be finding work to help establish a healthy digital marketing portfolio. Thanks to GradStar, I was able to network with other professional individuals, including potential employers, and was able to have conversations about potential employment as soon as this November. I aim to have several employees working for one of my various companies, so as to build a sustainable organisation. The main goal is to establish independence financially, so I can start helping those who might need it. With the knowledge obtained from my degree, I aim to assist those who may not have the capacity to obtain a degree or the knowledge that comes with it.