Last Mile: Help Me Graduate

My story began in 2018 when I opened an acceptance letter from Wits University. That letter felt like a doorway, a chance to step away from the traumas of childhood and the shrinking possibilities of a township marked by crime and drug abuse. In that place, an acceptance letter can feel like the brightest thing that will ever happen to you.

Getting to university didn’t end the struggle. I failed courses, lost funding, changed degrees, and in 2023 I even dropped out and returned home. Still, the dream would not die. I fought — tooth and nail — to become the first of my mother’s five children to earn a degree. By God’s grace, I did. But today I stand at the finish line with one last barrier: academic debt that prevents me from receiving my certificate and walking the stage.

At university I didn’t just study but I served. I was elected counseling team leader, secretary-general, and chairperson of a student organization that for over 30 years has created belonging and service. My internships strengthened my practical skills and commitment to community: St. Vincent School f...