Cape Town - A University of Cape Town (UCT) graduate, Yusra Sablay, has won numerous awards during a recent ceremony, and has accredited this to her steadfastness in her faith, dedication and perseverance, and importantly, support from her family and broader community.
The 24-year-old recently completed a four-year Bachelor of Science Degree in Occupational Therapy, and will move on to undertake community service next year.
On Friday, a ceremony was held, which served as a prize-giving and oath taking ceremony for all final year students within the Faculty of Health Sciences.
Within the division, Sablay was awarded prizes for all three of her final year courses, three of her third year courses, and the class medal for the best performance in each year of study.
From the faculty, Sablay was awarded the Gold Medal for Occupational Therapy for the overall top performance for the duration of her studies, and the Dean’s prize, which is awarded to the overall top final year student in the undergraduate programmes for the duration of their studies.
“As we are taught in Islam, any success that we achieve is only through Allah. He is the only one to whom we turn. Throughout my studies, this is something that I clung to,” Sablay said.
“The opportunity to study and learn is a gift, and one that many are denied, especially if we look at the scholasticide taking place in Gaza at present, and so to work with excellence I believe is a form of gratitude to Allah.”
She also expressed her indebtedness to her parents for their unwavering support and guid-nce.
“My parents grew up during apartheid and so faced many barriers as people of colour. However, both were fortunate enough to obtain higher education qualifications but this was not without struggle and effort given the apartheid climate.”
Sablay has been placed at a District Hospital in KwaZulu-Natal for one-year community service.
Upon completion, she intends to return to Cape Town to continue working and to pursue a Master’s Degree at some stage.
“As much as my wish is to instil hope in others who may ‘see themselves’ in me, I am also not naive to the many privileges I have been afforded, that have allowed me to reach this point, many of which are not afforded to others, because of systemic and historical barriers.
“My final hope is therefore that we as a society can work together to open these opportunities up to even more students of colour in our country, many of whom are denied access to quality education, a stark reminder of our country’s apartheid history.”