Man sweeps his way to realising his dreams
A former groundsman at Penryn College took it upon himself to exchange his broom and overalls for a suitcase and tie so he could have a better future filled with dreams and ambitions.
MBOMBELA – Success is not measured by what you have but rather what you do with the opportunities you encounter.
A former groundsman at Penryn College took it upon himself to exchange his broom and overalls for a suitcase and tie so he could have a better future filled with dreams and ambitions.
Lawrence Dube (30) is now a learner-support facilitator at Penreach after finishing his BEd degree at Unisa with a remarkable 19 distinc-tions, which further illustrates this man’s drive to make a success of his life.
“I am the first person from my family to get a formal education. I want to use my knowledge to inspire other young people. Focus, determination and passion can get you far,” he said.
Lawrence grew up in the rural and poverty-stricken Bhekiswako and attended Mthimba Primary and Bhekiswako Secondary School where he completed matric in 2001.
“My parents were poor and we did not have any money. After matric I worked at a local spaza shop until I was employed by Penryn College in 2008 as a groundsman,” he said.
Lawrence’s life took a U-turn when he became aware of Penryn’s staff development programme.
“I went to the headmasters at the time, Greg Theron and Andrew Collie to discuss opportunities for studying further as a biology teacher. It was quite daunting as I had to approach the big boys and I was just a simple groundsman. Luckily my prayers were answered and I started with my course at Unisa.”
Lawrence’s first position at Penreach was an internship as a sports facilitator in the KaBokweni area, which he thoroughly enjoyed as he had the change to live out his passions for sport and the community.
“As a young boy I always taught the neighbouring kids how to play soccer and cricket and I knew that this was what I wanted to do one day. Finances delayed my opportunity but I kept the faith,”
he explained.
One of the most important lessons that Lawrence had learnt through his studies was that you needed to work hard for everything in life.
“There were a lot of thunderstorms, rain and wind which could have kept me from achieving my goals, but I carried on making everyone proud. Circumstances must never limit one’s potential. Patience is so important and it is something that many youths lack. Even though I struggled to adapt to studying long distance, I could still count on the support of my wife and colleagues to assist me,” he expressed.
This father of two also does not want to stop achieving and believes that he can obtain his doctorate in biology one day. Lawrence further emphasises the importance of a tertiary education as it opens doors to the future.
“Firstly I have to complete my honours degree this year. I am very excited and I cannot be happier with where I am in life. Studying has become an integral part of who I am. I want to learn every day,” he said enthusiastically.
