Beyond Graduation: How CPUT Set The Stage for Kashiefa Jongie's Journey of Education and Personal Growth.

By Jamie Benjamin

The Cape Peninsula University of Technology's District Six Campus where Kashiefa Studied.

Source: Jamie Benjamin

University represents a significant milestone for many. It offers a path to study further, better employment prospects, or a new perspective on life and purpose. Through this process, every journey is unique and special. The Cape Peninsula University of Technology(CPUT) has produced many excellent and notable alumni who have found success in various fields. Although these high-profile success stories strengthen CPUT's image and inspire future generations, they often overshadow the equally impactful journeys of those who may not have completed their studies through the university but have still made significant strides toward professional and personal growth.

For Kashiefa Jongie, her time at CPUT was an essential stepping stone — not defined by graduation, but by the opportunities and perspectives it opened. Her story reminds us that university is not just about earning a diploma; it can also be about laying the foundation for future paths, however unexpected they may be.

Kashiefa Jongie. Source: Kashiefa Jongie

Personal Journey and Education

Kashiefa began her journey into tertiary education with CPUT in 2006 as a student in the Diploma in Conservation course. Much like Kashiefa's student journey, CPUT was barely a year old. Formed as a result of a merger between the Cape Technikon and the Peninsula Technikon, which transformed the higher education landscape within the Western Cape and larger South Africa by creating a stronger option for the youth and those looking to further their education and job prospects. For Kashiefa, her reasons were largely centered around proximity to her home and affordability, which is reasoning that many students often make when deciding where to study. "CPUT was the only institution close to home that was affordable. Fee's and traveling-wise, it was convenient," Kashiefa noted.

CPUT's District Six Campus Source: Cape Peninsula University of Technology

She reflected on her brief time at CPUT and attributes the institution and her studies there in helping her become confident and competent in public speaking. This led to the revelation that perhaps conservation was not the educational path she wanted to pursue at that point in time. She reflected, "In school I could never do an oral in front of the class, without having small anxiety attacks. I would always forget what to say, but at CPUT I really learned how to do proper presentations and became very good at presenting and that made me realise that I was actually supposed to be a teacher."

Milestones and Challenges

With the realisation of wanting to become a teacher becoming a turning point in her educational journey, her time in conservation at CPUT came to an end after only her first year. She applied to study teaching at the University of South Africa(UNISA). She adds, "I didn't have to take certain modules because of the credits I got from studying at CPUT."

Despite transitioning from conservation to education, environmental conservation was always more of a first love than a career path. After 4 years of being an assistant teacher and studying at UNISA, she missed the fulfillment she got from being in the environmental sector and looked to take another turn, and by her admission, a step forward in her journey. Instead of choosing between conservation and education, she decided to marry the two. "I then again realised that I really needed to be in the environmental sector and took an environmental education course with WESSA[Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa] and again my time at CPUT helped me to get chosen to do the course for free," Kashiefa added.

Kashiefa admits that it was not all smooth sailing, but believes she overcame them by adapting to change and through her demeanor of being a sociable person. "I had to work two years for my tuition so some of my classmates were two years younger than me," she comments. She also notes how adapting to English as the medium of instruction was challenging for her. "The only challenge for me was the language. Coming from Afrikaans- speaking primary and secondary schools, I suddenly had to do everything in English," she adds. Tuition fees and difficulties in adapting to English as a medium of instruction is something many students across South Africa can relate to.

Passions and Motivations

Groote Schuur Hospital, a public hospital located in Observatory known for serving a broad patient base and the first successful human - to -human heart transplant performed on 03 December 1967, might not be the first place you would look for someone who had a long relationship with environmental conservation and education on a tertiary level.

Although not currently involved in either conservation or education, she still finds passion and motivation in a program she drives at Groote Schuur Hospital, where she works as a Senior Administration Clerk. She admits, "I'm passionate about the caring for the environment and that is why I drive the environmental wellness program at my workplace. Once again, thanks to my one year spent at CPUT."

Groote Schuur Hospital, located in Observatory. Home of the first successful heart transplant. Source: www.gsh.co.za

Impact of CPUT

"Education is, quite simply, peace-building by another name. It is the most effective form of defense spending there is." — Kofi Annan

Education has long been known as a tool to promote understanding and bridge gaps by appealing to common needs shared by everyone. During her time at CPUT, Kashiefa interacted with people from vastly different backgrounds and circumstances but was comforted and amazed by how education and the desire to learn served as a great unifier. She reflects on how backgrounds were irrelevant because everyone "came to learn." South Africa's history has always been synonymous with racial and societal inequality, but stories like this showcase the environment university life and education can foster: an environment in which race and class doesn't matter because education and to better oneself is the prime directive, while embracing diversity along the way.

Kashiefa(front-row, far- left) on an excursion with her class in the Diploma in Conservation course. Source: Kashiefa Jongie.

Community and Influence

Believing that a passion for environmental initiatives is embedded within her, she tries to translate that into her work and hopes that it expands to her community and beyond. Kashiefa believes that this was cultivated through her education, which has allowed her to make noticeable impacts, even if only on a small scale. She adds "I'm not in the field I've studied for, but with the skills I've learned I can now facilitate environmental programs at my workplace where I am the Environmental Wellness contact person."

Studying and earning a skill and qualification often comes with the desire to put what you have learnt to good use in the real world, and make an impact in your respective field. AfriOceans Conservation Alliance, a non-profit organisation whose work revolves around marine conservation and educating others on the dangers of harmful practices such as drumline use have on the oceans and marine life. Kashiefa believes this is where she made an appreciable impact, having been largely involved in public education and community outreach programs facilitated by the AfriOceans Conservation Alliance. "In 2013 and 2014, I worked for a company called AfriOceans Alliances where I was an environmental facilitator, teaching extra-curricular classes to schools in my community[Lavender Hill]. During school holiday breaks I facilitated environmental programs with Hillwood Primary and the DCAS[Department of Cultural Affairs and Sports] in the Lavender Hill community].

Continuing the Path of Growth

Kashiefa Jongie's story is a testament to the many paths education can take you on. While her time at CPUT was brief, it laid the foundation for the steps she would follow later in life — whether it involved transitioning from teaching or environmental education through WESSA. Her journey stands as a case study showing that success isn't always measured by diplomas or titles, but by adapting, growing, and remaining passionate about having an impact on the world, no matter the size of it.

Existing within a world that often celebrates conventional achievements and success, Kashiefa's story reminds us that education's true value lies in not just reaching milestones, but in the personal and professional transformation it ignites along the way. It's a story of introspection, resilience and the persistent pursuit of meaningful work that ultimately makes a difference — whether in workplaces, communities, or classrooms. Kashiefa Jongie's journey serves as proof that education's greatest triumphs often occur long after we leave the lecture halls, in the many unexpected turns life takes.