Dr Allison Matroos from Atlantis graduated with her doctorate this week.
Image: Supplied / Henk Oets
An Atlantis woman has graduated this week from Stellenbosch University (SU) with her doctorate, which she completed in two years.
Dr Allison Matroos, 28, from Island Place, has been an academic achiever throughout her schooling and has proven that education is key.
Matroos, who grew up with her mother and grandmother, has proven that despite coming from a community plagued by unemployment, gang violence, and drug abuse, you do not have to be defined by your circumstances.
Matroos received her doctorate in Afrikaans and Dutch on Monday during SU’s March graduation ceremony, which she completed in a staggering two years. She is currently a postdoctoral fellow and is a temporary lecturer at SU’s Department of Afrikaans and Dutch.
“When you grow up in Atlantis, you learn at an early age of survival, but also what the word 'perseverance' really means. My journey wasn’t easy. I walked a winding path of falling and getting up again in an environment where one's dreams are often overshadowed by violence and feel out of one's reach,” Matroos said.
Dr Allison Matroos is also a published author.
Image: Supplied / Henk Oets
Matroos admitted to being on the edge of throwing in the towel many times.
“If I could have been paid R1 for all the times I thought about giving up, I would be a millionaire today. Knowing that my mother and grandmother were praying for me and that no one was going to come and save me, that I was responsible for my own future, kept me going,” she said.
Matroos, who is beaming with pride with her PhD, said this was proof that hard work really does pay off.
“It's not about being the smartest, but about putting in the time and showing up even in the times you feel like running away.”
She also dedicated her PhD to her partner, who believed in her and supported her throughout her journey.
Matroos, who lost her brother, explained how she was grateful for his inspiration and support and hoped he was proud of her from heaven.
For her PhD, Matroos investigated the role of literature, specifically short stories and poems, in promoting the four macro skills (reading, speaking, listening, and writing) of second language students. She designed lessons in which students not only learn rules but actively ‘play’ with the language through stories and poems to build their skills and confidence.
“My fascination with the Afrikaans language and literature lies in the affective power of language, in other words, how a low affective filter, as the American linguist Stephen Krashen puts it, is essential for the successful learning of a language. Literature provides that ‘safe space’. It fascinates me how a single poem or short story can lower a student's anxiety and unlock a passion for a language that may have previously been experienced as 'difficult' or ‘strange’,” she said.
Matroos isn't just a promising emerging researcher – she is also a short-story writer of stature. She started writing in Grade 9 while attending Atlantis Senior Secondary School and at the age of 21 published her first collection of poems and short stories, titled Kaleidoskoop.
“The driving force behind the first poem I wrote is my little brother's death. Writing helps me understand my feelings. I explore themes such as love, humanity/being, social issues, among others,” she said.
Matroos explained that storytelling is a way for her to reflect on the experiences of communities like Atlantis.
“My research emphasises that the choice of culturally appropriate texts dramatically increases students' engagement and motivation. By telling stories that reflect the reality of our communities, we acknowledge our own existence. It repositions our experiences as something valuable enough to study and write about. It's important to capture the experiences of people of colour in particular, so that their voices can be heard,” Matroos said.
She hopes her journey will send the message to young people growing up in communities like Atlantis that they shouldn't let their circumstances steal the pen from their hand.
“Take control of your life and write your own story. Ask for help if you need it. Being shy or embarrassed won’t get you anything. There will always be people who will try to bring you down, ask the Lord to give you strength, pray every day for wisdom, and keep your focus on your dream,” Matroos explained.
Now that she has obtained her doctorate, Matroos says she wants to further develop her model for the use of short stories and poems, possibly for teacher training or curriculum development to address the gap in Afrikaans education nationally.
She will continue to write academically and creatively to ensure that the voices from Atlantis and similar places never fall silent in the classroom again.
Matroos is currently writing articles about her research.
robin.francke@iol.co.za
IOL