A few years ago, I met a young woman who lost her sight when she was in matric. At the time of our meeting she was a final-year psychology student at the University of the Witwatersrand and preparing for the 94.7 Cycle Challenge. This, I thought, was incredible. In a society where consumerism and celebrity are the norm, my heart was stirred by a young woman who had faced immeasurable obstacles and yet, step by step, had travelled towards her dreams.story_article_left1Over the years, Sisanda has taught me enduring lessons about taking the blows of life and creating our own rainbows after a ferocious storm. She not only went on to graduate that year, but she registered for her honours degree in psychology.At her graduation ceremonies, the entire Wits Great Hall erupted; students, parents and academic staff rose to applaud a young woman who just kept trying and doing her best. She comes from the rural Eastern Cape, so it must have been overwhelming for her to arrive in Johannesburg blind and alone, and walk these bewildering streets for the first time. In the corridors of Wits, she has met some wonderful people who have supported her and watered the seeds of her dreams. But the hard work was still up to her.She is a very private person but I have gently and sometimes forcefully pushed her to open up a bit and share her journey with the world.We are desperate for role models, desperate to demonstrate the fruits of hard work to a disillusioned youth.Sisanda's disability was made even harder by the fact that she lost her vision in her matric year and had to go to a special school to start again and matriculate. I cannot imagine how frightening it must have been to lose the precious gift of sight. Most of us would have just given up. My amazement at her grit and dedication multiplied a thousandfold when I learnt that she did all of this without the nourishing support of parents.block_quotes_start Sisanda has taught me enduring lessons about creating our own rainbows after a storm block_quotes_endSisanda is an orphan, who mercifully had aunts and cousins who raised her and provided for her to the best of their limited ability.I thought last year's honours graduation was the last. But no, this year, we were back at the Great Hall, witnessing Sisanda receive her master's degree. Her very salient research focused on how people with disabilities navigate public spaces. It was heart-warming to watch her aunts, who had travelled from Dutywa, sing, dance and ululate as this bright star took to the stage with her guide dog, Romy.story_article_right2This year was particularly fraught because Sisanda, just two hours before the graduation ceremony, had left hospital, where she had been confined for five days after a fellow student viciously attacked her.Yes, unbelievable that there are people who go around attacking blind people. It wasn't a fight. It was an attack. An investigation is under way and again the university has been supporting her through this ordeal.Sisanda has spent the better part of this year trying to find a job. We have knocked on doors that just refused to open. She has applied and, like many citizens, has been left wondering if anyone even received her application. Finally, the financial services institution Investec is giving her a chance, with a short-term contract, to prove herself.So unstoppable is she that she is also working on her PhD proposal. I have learnt so many lessons from Sisanda. To me, she personifies all the dreams and hopes that I have for myself, my family and my country. And that is to keep striving for excellence, to find a purpose that is larger than ourselves, commit to it and touch humanity positively...