Jean-Marí Cornelius celebrates completion of her studies with her husband, Rian, their son Xavier and daughter Kayla. Pic Supplied by Akademia
Obtaining a degree in BCom Economics and Law is not for personal gain for a Deaf Capetonian mother of two, but it is for the advancement of the Deaf community.
Jean-Marí Cornelius (48) a graduate from Akademia, a private Christian university in Cape Town, is an employee at the Deaf Federation of South Africa (Deafsa).
Cornelius matriculated at De la Bat School for the Deaf in Worcester, Cape Town in 1995. Maths was inclusive in her subjects, excluding accounting, but based on her 10 years’ experience “in the accounting field”, she applied for the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) programme, which qualified her to pursue a degree in BCom Economics.
The RPL programme is designed to support “access to higher education for candidates who have gained a degree-related knowledge and skills through informal or experiential means.”
Although she did not study accounting, she always landed up in the accounting departments in her employment.
"This is ironic because I did not do accounting at school. One of the auditors of a law firm where I worked saw my potential" and showed her the ropes.
Jean-Marí Cornelius has finally completed her degree in BCom Economics and Law. Pic Supplied by Akademia
Law has been her first love hence in 1997 she enrolled to study toward a degree in it, but she could not complete her studies.
“When I first started studying in 1997, I was regarded as the LLB girl of the time. Even after 26 years everywhere I went in the Deaf community that question always popped up ‘have you finished’, which I therefore had to answer, ‘unfortunately no.’ I realised how many expectations were created of me at the time. How much hope there was for the Deaf community to have someone in law and now I could have a little bit of both [Bcom Economics and Law] that were so close to my heart.”
Cornelius added:
Reflecting on her graduation day, she said: “It was a great relief when those last results came, especially if you could only complete them after seven years. In addition, the honour of being the first fully-fledged deaf graduate student in the faculty. On the day of graduation, it was such an intense feeling of gratitude and pride and definitely a lump-in-the-throat moment but also with the realisation that the road doesn’t stop here now.”
Working for Deafsa, which focuses mainly on social development in the Deaf community, motivated her to further her studies.
Cornelius said:
Being a mother, a wife and a full-time employee did not deter Jean-Marí Cornelius from completing her studies. Pic Supplied by Akademia
She said the road to her success was not easy. Her major challenges were studying part-time, working full-time, and ensuring not to neglect her marital and motherly duties to her two minor children. She also had to fill her beauty pageant role as a 2017 finalist and volunteer for Miss Mr & Mrs Deaf South Africa.
“Time management was a skill that I had to learn very soon coupled with self-discipline which thankfully was so obviously a part of me. I attribute this to the fact that from an early age I had to be self-reliant which is to my advantage.”
“At the same time, I was also very lucky to have an employer who supported me throughout my studies while also having my job. His most beautiful quality is that he is so sincere and will really encourage every deaf person to chase their dreams which made it much easier for me. All the pep-talks and the encouragement on days when it was harder, always pulled me through it.”
When she turned 40 in 2016 her key message and theme was and will always be: "It doesn't matter how or what, each of us still have dreams that we still need to create for ourselves to bring meaning to our own lives and we need to pursue them.”
Her key message to the Deaf community is that “If you study for the right reasons, the battle is already halfway won. Just make sure your support network is in place and that everyone is willing to buy in and allow you to do it. Be prepared to work very hard and be willing to lose out many opportunities and make sacrifices because you have studied for tests and exams and assignments to do but it is all just temporary. At the end of the day, the degree is yours to keep, and your world is your oyster.”
