{"id":35972,"date":"2026-04-24T13:31:04","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T13:31:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/?p=35972"},"modified":"2026-04-24T13:31:04","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T13:31:04","slug":"the-only-cum-laude-masters-graduate-ms-ayuk-nancy-elizabeths-journey-of-purpose-and-persistence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/the-only-cum-laude-masters-graduate-ms-ayuk-nancy-elizabeths-journey-of-purpose-and-persistence\/","title":{"rendered":"The only cum laude master\u2019s graduate: Ms Ayuk Nancy Elizabeth\u2019s journey of purpose and persistence"},"content":{"rendered":"

“Ms Ayuk Nancy Elizabeth graduated as the only cum laude master\u2019s student at the VUT, combining academic excellence with research on employee retention in the retail sector.<\/strong>“<\/p>\n\n\n\n

24 April 2026 | Story by: Thembelihle Masimula | Picture: Keitumetse Mokgope<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3 minutes read time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For Ms Ayuk Nancy Elizabeth, graduation was not only about completing a qualification. It was about proving, once again, that resilience, focus, and purpose can carry a person through even the most demanding seasons of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 23 April 2026, the Zimbabwe-born scholar graduated cum laude from the Faculty of Management Sciences at the Vaal University of Technology (VUT). In a cohort defined by strong academic performance, she stood apart as the only student at master\u2019s level to achieve a cum laude distinction, marking a rare and exceptional accomplishment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her research reflects the same depth and intention that shaped her academic journey. Focusing on the relationship between supervisory support, organisational commitment, and employees\u2019 intention to stay, her study examined supermarket workers in Southern Gauteng. At its core, the research explores a simple but often overlooked truth: people are more likely to stay where they feel supported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am more concerned about what happens in the business environment, especially for lower-level employees,\u201d she said, grounding her work in real workplace realities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through detailed data analysis, her study identified a clear link between supportive supervision, stronger organisational commitment, and improved employee retention. It offers practical insights for managers, particularly in the retail sector, where high staff turnover remains a persistent challenge. Her findings suggest that when leadership moves beyond policy and becomes present, engaged, and responsive, both employees and organisations benefit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet behind the research lies a deeply personal journey. Balancing motherhood with the demands of postgraduate study required more than academic ability. It demanded endurance. \u201cHaving kids and studying, that was a lot. It really requires hard work and determination,\u201d she reflected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This achievement marks her third cum laude qualification, reinforcing a consistent record of excellence. For her, it is not only a measure of performance, but a reflection of belief. \u201cIt gives me confidence that I can do this, and I am still doing it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her journey has not been without difficulty. Like many students, she encountered moments of pressure and uncertainty. But through each challenge, she remained anchored in her purpose. \u201cI should not give up in life. There are storms along the way. Stones will be thrown at you, but you must keep your head high, stay determined, and know what you want in life,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the University marks its 60th milestone, her story carries a quiet but powerful message. It reminds us that academic success is rarely achieved in isolation. It is built in the spaces where responsibility, ambition, and resilience meet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Ms Ayuk Nancy Elizabeth\u2019s journey, that intersection has produced not only academic distinction, but research that speaks directly to the realities of the modern workplace.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“Ms Ayuk Nancy Elizabeth graduated as the only cum laude master\u2019s student at the VUT, combining academic excellence with research […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":35974,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35972","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news-vaal-university-of-technology"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35972","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35972"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35972\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35975,"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35972\/revisions\/35975"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35974"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35972"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35972"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35972"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}