My something special is my student card. To me, it’s more than something that allows me to access resources and get around university, it holds inspiration for me to know that I am pursuing my dreams and goals of becoming a qualified Social Worker. Those dreams and goals will be realised.

I received my student card when I completed my registration this year and I must say, to be able to be called a student has not been an easy journey.

I still remember very well back in 2015 when I dropped out of university and had to give up on my dreams because life was not smiling at me. One of the things I had to give up and return was my student card. This was a symbol of all those opportunities, resources, chances and abilities to access the university that would no longer be mine. My heart was red, bloody and aching because letting go of my education broke my heart.

I did not know what else, where else, I was going to go if I was not studying.

I was overwhelmed with being diagnosed with a chronic condition, and to make matters worse, that condition was the one that placed me in this situation in the first place. I felt so angry at life. I felt like I was imprisoned and limited to realise my potential.

Now, when I look back I am thankful for my journey. I am thankful that when life kicked me like a horse, I did not tap out. I spent all the years invested in volunteering, which has helped me to reach heights I never knew I would reach. I have had immense opportunities that have left me speechless.

I remember telling one of my fellow students now about my story. She could not believe it, she felt like it sounds like one of those stories in movie scripts. I am thankful for my story because it is what motivates me in my current endeavours with my education.

I am thankful that I got to hold my student card again because it is like fast-forwarding these 5 years marking my return to my academic studies. Holding my student card means that I have got a second chance in life. Of course, life is filled with uncertainty, but what gives me courage is that I have been privileged to pursue my goals.

I am reminded each day not to take anything for granted because I know how I have travelled in life and how life has dealt with me. Today I hold my student card as a passport to my dreams. I cannot wait to someday graduate in Sarah Bartmaan Hall with distinctions and become the first generation in my family to qualify.