At the height of one of the most demanding academic programmes at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), Ms Mohini Pillay made a decision that quietly reshaped her year – she stepped away from social media entirely.
It was not a dramatic gesture, but a deliberate one. A choice to trade scrolling for focus, noise for clarity and distraction for discipline.
Looking back now, as she graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Commerce Honours in Finance, that decision stands out as one of the turning points in a year defined by intensity, sacrifice and growth.
“Something that helped me use my time more wisely was deleting social media during the semesters,” she reflects. “It’s not something many students believe will help them, but it makes a colossal difference.”
For Pillay, the Finance Honours programme at UKZN was not just another academic step, it was a test of endurance. Known for its rigour and pace, the programme demanded long hours, constant adjustment and a level of commitment that left little room for anything else.
There were weeks when her world narrowed to a simple routine: lectures, seminars, assignments and repetition.
“There were weeks where I only left my house to go to campus,” she says. “Those sacrifices had to be made in order not to fall behind.”
But within that pressure, something unexpected happened. She didn’t just survive the programme, she began to find meaning in it.
“My honours degree helped me develop a genuine interest in finance,” she says. “Admittedly, it was something I lacked in my early undergraduate years.”
That shift from uncertainty to passion was shaped not only by discipline, but by clarity of purpose. Pillay learned to define success for herself, not vaguely, but precisely.
“It is not enough to simply say you want to do well,” she explains. “Specifying what ‘well’ looks like makes all the difference.”
Along the way, she found motivation in the people around her. The lecturers whose passion for the subject made even the most complex financial theories feel alive.
“Seeing how passionate and knowledgeable my lecturers were, motivated me to adopt a curious mindset, ask questions and seek help,” she says.
But some of the most meaningful parts of her journey were not found in textbooks or lecture halls. They were found in the shared experience of her cohort – a group of students navigating the same pressure, the same deadlines and the same uncertainty.
“Honestly, what stands out most is the friends I made,” she says. “We were all going through the same things, helping one another, growing together.”
That sense of community became a quiet anchor in an otherwise demanding year.
Academically, Pillay’s journey also transformed how she understands finance itself. What began as theory evolved into something far more practical and data-driven, shaped by exposure to financial software, macroeconomic analysis and real-world market behaviour.
“Using Bloomberg and financial data tools was invaluable,” she explains. “It helped me understand market analysis in a completely different way.”
Her research and studies pushed her to think beyond surface-level interpretations, especially when it came to understanding the relationship between economic forces.
“Understanding that everything is related, but not everything is causally related, was an essential distinction,” she says.
Her honours dissertation which explored macroeconomic influences on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, brought those ideas into sharp focus. One of its most striking findings revealed how interconnected financial markets and economic indicators can be, challenging how she viewed cause and effect in economics.
“It really helped put into perspective how important the work we do at UKZN is,” she reflects.
Now continuing her academic journey into master’s studies, Pilllay is focused on financial markets, investment analysis and portfolio risk – areas she describes as both challenging and deeply engaging. Her ambition is to contribute meaningfully to market risk analysis or investment management in the future.
“I thrive under pressure,” she says. “Finance is demanding, but I enjoy solving complex problems using data-driven facts.”
Beyond the technical, her perspective is grounded in a broader concern for South Africa’s economic challenges, particularly unemployment and access to opportunity. For her, finance is not just about markets, but about impact.
“Finance graduates are more than equipped to help build SMEs (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises), and create jobs,” she says. “We need more graduates willing to take that step.”
She also believes strongly in making financial knowledge more accessible, especially to young people.
“There is no grand secret to investing, you just have to start,” she says! “You will never regret looking out for your future.”
As she reflects on her honours year, Pillay does not describe perfection. She describes pressure, sacrifice, friendship, discipline and transformation.
“I learnt what it means to be confident in my opinions, to manage my time, to make sacrifices and to enjoy being challenged,” she says. “It was the most challenging, but also the most exciting, year of my academic journey.”
On Graduation Day, that journey finds its reward not only in a degree earned with distinction, but in the quiet proof that focus, clarity, and sacrifice can reshape what is possible.
And in Pillay’s case, it began with something as simple and as powerful as logging off.
Words: Oliver Meth
Photograph: Sethu Dlamini