Richard Scott's epic 45-year journey to graduation

Richard Scott, a senior clerk at the University of Fort Hare’s (UFH) Honeydale Research Farm in Alice, has obtained his first university degree, almost 50 years after passing his matric.

The 62-year-old UFH bachelor in public administration graduate became the first university graduate in his family.

“Walking across that stage in my academic regalia, being capped by the vice-chancellor, and then congratulated by the registrar, has been an almost unimaginable dream which I long gave up on. And yet, by the will of God, that is the scene that played out during the UFH  2023 May graduation,” says Scott. 

He completed his matric in 1978 and, though he obtained the required results for tertiary admission, his family’s financial circumstances did not permit him to do so. 

“My folks could not afford to send me to a tertiary institution to further my studies. I made peace with it and got on with life the best way I could. I ventured into a technical career path, far removed from any academic nuances, and I worked to support my family.”

However, by a stroke of fate, years later he became an employee at UFH — managing the print room.

“This move jolted my life into a new direction as I had to work with academics daily. Once again, that gnawing feeling of having missed out on what I really wanted to do was starting to rear its head.”

“To cut a long story short, between being the victim of retrenchment, taking on piece jobs to put food on the table, and at times being ridiculed by colleagues, I knew deep down that something better was heading my way.”

“To my delight, I became temporarily employed at the exams office at UFH and I witnessed hundreds of students graduate every year. I had no doubt that this was what I wanted too.”

In 2020, he enrolled for the public administration qualification, while he was employed full-time. 

“I went back to the world of studying after 42 years, during which time I had barely read a book. It was daunting at first when I discovered the extent of the reading and preparation you have to do as a student, but I was not going to be deterred.

“That was also the year where Covid-19 turned our lives upside down, so I had to learn very quickly, as did all other students, on how to navigate online learning and assessments. It was a challenge, a complete paradigm shift, but we got through it.”

Unfortunately, in 2022, his spouse had a bad run with her health and had to be hospitalised for a while, which added to the pressure of keeping up with his studies.

“The final challenge was when contact teaching, learning, and writing exams physically at the sports centre was reintroduced.”

Despite all the obstacles, Scott passed all his modules without having ever writing a supplementary exam. He even passed several of his courses with distinction.

“This would not have been possible without the advice and assistance I received from a very supportive family and the dedicated lecturers and students. Many of my friends and family members are proud of my achievement but I am the most proud because I know the challenges first-hand, and I endured to achieve the end goal.

“This has been my epic journey to graduation — it’s my story which I hope will encourage and motivate older people.  I am living proof that with effort, prayer and support, anything is possible.”

This article was sponsored by University of Fort Hare.