Grad Week 2025 | Haajir September — Setbacks Are Detours, Not Dead Ends
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In this Grad Week 2025 episode, we sit down with Haajir September, who graduated with her BEd in Foundation Phase — a journey defined by resilience, faith, second chances, and the powerful bond between a mother and daughter.
Raised on the Cape Flats by her single mother, Zubaida, Haajir learned early what perseverance looks like. Her path to graduation was not linear: a disrupted matric year during Covid, an initial rejection from Stellenbosch, and a gap year spent rewriting and reapplying. Rather than giving up, Haajir returned stronger — a reminder that sometimes life says not yet, not never.
Accepted on her second application, Haajir later became a Dell Young Leader, a turning point that helped her grow in confidence, leadership, and purpose. Today, she stands as the first child and grandchild in her family to graduate from university — a historic and deeply emotional milestone.
Joined on air by her mom, Zubaida, this conversation reflects on belief, sacrifice, patience, and what it means to keep going when the path feels uncertain. Haajir also shares what being a Matie has meant to her — and the values she now carries into her future as an educator.
Recorded on Friday, 12 December 2025, this episode forms part of MFM 92.6’s Grad Week 2025 series, celebrating the real journeys behind the degrees — the setbacks, the growth, the people who carried you, and the purpose that lies ahead.
Once a Matie, always a Matie.
Raised on the Cape Flats by her single mother, Zubaida, Haajir learned early what perseverance looks like. Her path to graduation was not linear: a disrupted matric year during Covid, an initial rejection from Stellenbosch, and a gap year spent rewriting and reapplying. Rather than giving up, Haajir returned stronger — a reminder that sometimes life says not yet, not never.
Accepted on her second application, Haajir later became a Dell Young Leader, a turning point that helped her grow in confidence, leadership, and purpose. Today, she stands as the first child and grandchild in her family to graduate from university — a historic and deeply emotional milestone.
Joined on air by her mom, Zubaida, this conversation reflects on belief, sacrifice, patience, and what it means to keep going when the path feels uncertain. Haajir also shares what being a Matie has meant to her — and the values she now carries into her future as an educator.
Recorded on Friday, 12 December 2025, this episode forms part of MFM 92.6’s Grad Week 2025 series, celebrating the real journeys behind the degrees — the setbacks, the growth, the people who carried you, and the purpose that lies ahead.
Once a Matie, always a Matie.
