Her Determination Made Me a STEM Graduate

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Her determination made me a STEM graduate
Barbara McClintock once said that if you know you are on the right track, if you have this inner knowledge, then nobody can turn you off no matter what they say. When we look at women in STEM we are proud of the progress and we appreciate their charisma and intelligence. Our journey towards gender equality and quality education for all especially in the STEM sector has not been an easy one and we still have a long way to go. Fortunately enough we get some motivation every now and again to keep the fire burning. Lethu a Ndebele queen and animal scientist is one remarkable woman who has chosen to share her story and celebrate the woman behind her academic success.

The fate of cultural divide

In a world of diversity and cultural differences it is difficult to strike a common ground. Such was the story of my parents, as my mother a Shona lady got married to a Ndebele man. Their marriage was doomed to fail considering it was formed just after the Gukurahundi massacre and a lot of stigma and emotions were in the air. Regardless of the shared love between the two , one thing led to the next and my mother was suddenly a single mother with very little to support us. In a bid to protect my feelings and keep good memories of my father she never let it show that he had deserted us. She would constantly write letters and post them to me pretending to be him, when he stopped sending me clothes or communicating with me. I eventually read between the lines as I grew old enough to understand the situation. It was only until then that I remembered how my friend in fifth grade had felt like living without a father. My mother had devoted her life to my success and she took over as my father as well.

He left and she took over

Having been raised by a single mother I never thought that one day I would be able to graduate college with a BSc Honours in Animal Production and Technology. The scientific field requires concentration, stability and energy. My mother earned peanuts and the Zimbabwean economy made it difficult to make any peanut butter out of the peanuts.Basically she had to toil hard to make ends meet, trying to make a dollar out of 15 cents. She managed to pay for my fees and accommodation but she had to sell freezits back home to provide a meal for herself . Four years is a long time but thank God success is meant for everyone willing enough to achieve it. My mother is a strong woman and a symbol of greatness. I choose to celebrate her today for all the sacrifices and encouragement she gave me throughout my academic journey.

If you are in a similar situation I hope this inspires you and motivates you to keep on keeping on, nothing should dim your light you are stronger than any situation.
I STAND WITH ALL STRONG WOMEN OUT THERE.


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