50-Years-Magazine-digital

Delivering Excellence for All in Israel 31 From the speech of Fadua Gotti, BA in Social Sciences and Humanities, at the graduation ceremony, May 2024: " For five years, every time I enrolled for studies I had to cancel, as my parents would not let me work at night and study during the day, or the opposite – work in the morning and study at night. They thought I should be at home after dark. As the daughter of disabled parents, I could not study without working and earning a living. I began my studies in 2018, after many attempts to convince my parents. Finally, I found the light at the end of the tunnel: a higher education institution that would embrace me and give me tools and also enable me to study remotely when convenient, without admission conditions, at a regular university fee. An institution that is recognized in Israel without compulsory attendance at classes. I insisted on fulfilling my dream. I enrolled in studies even though I had already received tenure at work. During my studies I chose to attend classes when I could, but mostly I studied remotely – at home – and, in this way I was able to combine my degree with life's other tasks. During my degree, I encountered many unexpected obstacles. I don’t think there is another higher education institution that could have accommodated me and understood my situation. Whenever I contacted the course coordinator or the tutors, I received understanding and inclusion, flexibility, and help. They always gave me another chance and were flexible whether via phone calls or emails. The Covid epidemic in the middle didn’t help either. Most of my friends had to stop studying, but I was used to recorded lectures and the Zoom format of studying. I didn’t notice any change in the continuity of studies. I realized that there’s no such thing as “no way” or “impossible”: there’s “difficult” and “very difficult” and there are optimism, desire, and hard work because that is the only way to succeed and reach the top. Never stop and be satisfied with my achievements in my studies; even after my degree, I am taking more and more courses; it doesn’t matter what or where – the main thing is to increase my knowledge and retain my learning ability. Never stop learning. ”