​As the University of Johannesburg (UJ) kicked off its first graduation series for 2015, Tebogo Khoza was one of the 230 UJ Accounting students that graduated on Monday, 2 March. Khoza is one of the fortunate students that received the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) funding when he enrolled at UJ three years ago.

An aspiring Chartered Accountant (CA), Khoza’s journey at UJ defines a life of a hopeful and ambitious youth that understands the results of hard-work and patience. Like many students coming from disadvantaged family backgrounds in South African townships, Khoza was raised by an unemployed single mother. This did not deter him from achieving his dreams to become a qualified CA in the future; his degree earned him an opportunity to soon join Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC) as an intern.

Driven by desire to change his future for a better life and make his mother proud, Khoza says he did a lot of self-studying before and after classes and intensely consulted his lecturers to master his school work.

Asked how he felt on his graduation day, Khoza says: “It was all worth it and there is no better feeling than knowing I have made my mother proud. I am one step closer to where I want to be in the future. I am hungry for success and I’m grateful I made it this far!”

The 22-year-old from Deveyton, East of Johannesburg, says his three years at UJ were challenging but doable. He hopes to become one of the 27% of qualified CAs that UJ is producing every year, in the near future, and add to the qualified workforce that South Africa needs to add to its commercial populace.

Khoza’s optimistic attitude, he says, makes him focused. “A better ending or reaching my destination is more important than where I started,” he says.