From till packer to medical doctor

Xolani Hadebe (27) will graduate with the degree MB ChB (Medicine) today, 11 December 2018.

After completing matric at his rural school in Piet Retief, Xolani says he had his heart set on becoming a doctor even though he had no idea how tough getting there was going to be. In spite of receiving rejection letters from all of the Medical Schools in the country, he never gave up on his dream.

“After being rejected so many times, I knew there was no way my mom, who has been a domestic worker all her life, would be able to afford my university applications, so I secured a job as a till packer at our local supermarket,” he adds.

Working in a supermarket was one of the hardest things he has ever done, because he had to pack groceries for his former classmates and at times he would go hide so that they do not see nor pity him for working at the grocery store while they continued with their studies.

Source Stellenbosch University