It Still All Feels Surreal – Graduate’s Summa Cum Laude Journey in Commerce

When Ms Lulama Zwane reflects on her academic journey, she returns to a simple but powerful feeling of it all being surreal!

“I remember when I first started, everything felt uncertain and overwhelming,” she says. “So now graduating summa cum laude is like a full-circle moment.”

At the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), Zwane has done more than complete a degree – she has built a story defined by discipline, consistency and a quiet determination to meet and exceed the standards she set for herself.

Graduating summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance and Supply Chain Management at the highest level of distinction, she is continuing her academic journey, now pursuing Honours in Finance. But behind this achievement lies something deeper than academic excellence.

For Zwane, success began with a decision.
“I told myself early on that I wanted to achieve a distinction in every module,” she says. “That became my standard.”

It was not a goal built on pressure but on consistency, showing up every day with purpose. “I didn’t wait to feel motivated,” she says. “I relied on discipline.”

That mindset carried her through one of the more demanding combinations in commerce – balancing two majors that each require depth, precision and focus. There were moments when the workload felt overwhelming, when mental exhaustion set in and when the path ahead felt heavy.

But Zwane learned to narrow her focus. “I took things one step at a time,” she says. “I reminded myself why I started.”

Her curiosity about how businesses work led her to pursue both finance and supply chain management, not as separate fields but as two sides of the same story. “Finance helps you understand how value is measured, while supply chain shows you how that value is created and delivered,” she explains. “I didn’t want to understand just one side; I wanted the full picture.”

That perspective has shaped how she now sees the world of business as being interconnected, dynamic and deeply influenced by both strategy and execution.

She speaks with clarity about the realities of today’s economic landscape – a space marked by uncertainty but also by opportunity.

“It’s a challenging environment,” she says, “but there are opportunities for those who understand risk and take a long-term view.”

In Finance, she was drawn to investment analysis and how markets behave under pressure. In Supply Chain Management, she found interest in logistics and the systems that keep businesses moving, even in difficult conditions.

Together, these disciplines gave her something more valuable than knowledge. She says it gave her perspective.

“It allows you to make better decisions,” she says. “You’re not just looking at costs or profits in isolation, you’re understanding how everything is linked.”

Zwane is quick to point out that what people often only see – the results – are only part of the story.

“They don’t always see the consistency involved,” she says. “The early mornings, the late nights, the moments when you have to keep going even when you’re tired.”

There were sacrifices along the way such as social time, rest and moments she chose to trade for progress. But Zwane understood what she was working towards.

“It wasn’t always easy,” she admits, “but it was worth it.”

Her time at UKZN also shaped how she thinks now, encouraging her to question, to analyse, and to engage with real-world challenges in a meaningful way.

“It pushed me to think more critically and independently,” she reflects. “It made my studies feel connected to what’s happening outside the classroom.”

Now, as she continues her Honours in Finance, Zwane is focused on deepening her knowledge and preparing for a future in the corporate world, one where she hopes to contribute to strategic decision-making, investment thinking and sustainable business growth.

“I want to be in a position where I’m contributing to important financial and strategic decisions,” she says.

But beyond career ambition lies something more grounded, a sense of responsibility. “I feel a responsibility to use what I’ve learned in a meaningful way, not just for personal success but to contribute positively to the broader economy.”

In Zwane’s journey, there is a reminder for every student walking a similar path, and that is: Excellence is not built in one moment, rather over time and through discipline, through persistence and through the quiet decision to keep going.

Words: Oliver Meth
Photograph: Supplied