03/01/2026
I DIDN’T JUST GRADUATE WITH A DEGREE LIKE ANY OTHER GRADUATE, I RETURNED BACK HOME AS A FULL-TIME EMPLOYEE
After university or college graduations, many of us write different experiences. For some, graduation is marked with joy and celebration; for others, it is marked with pain, uncertainty, and hard lessons shaped by many difficult situations. My own story carries all these elements—but above all, it carries gratitude and faith.
Just after my graduation from the University of Zambia in 2025, some media houses circulated a story that was very different from the original message. Many of you may remember a media page that speculated a forceful lie that I was the only graduate from Chavuma 😂😂. That was not true. Chavuma District is large and has produced many graduates since time immemorial. Perhaps only a few villages, especially on the West Bank, may not have produced graduates yet.
My initial impression was simply one of pride. I celebrated openly, saying I was taking my degree back to Nyambingila, a topical and one of the most remote villages on the west part of Chavuma District—without electricity and any telecommunication tower since independence. That was the message: pride in roots, not isolation from reality.
After graduating, many of those in my cycle did not know—and still do not know—what I studied at the University of Zambia. Even those who knew did not fully understand the importance of my programme. I will explain this in another episode.
When I first landed at the University of Zambia, it was also my first time in Lusaka. For many of us from rural districts like Chavuma, education has always been the main bridge to towns and cities. Some seniors from Chavuma whom we found on campus advised me to change my programme of study, saying it had no future. That was one of my earliest challenges. Many people believed my course would not take me anywhere. Others argued that archival and records studies only led to work at the National Archives of Zambia, an institution with very limited job opportunities.
Having been fed with this information, I made a decision: instead of panicking, I would research. I dedicated time to understanding the future of the records management sub-sector in Zambia. I spent many hours consulting the Head of Department in the Library and Information Studies Department, Mr. Chrispin Hamooya. Through this process, I found answers to the criticism and realized how much wrong information I had been fed.
I told myself one thing: even if this programme is not overrated or popularly spoken about like others, I will pursue it and create value out of it. After all, most of us pursue education with a survival mindset.
I began to study diligently. I loved what I was learning and started performing exceptionally well. By my second year, several private institutions began calling on us to help establish small library collections, develop classification schemes, and organize records. These opportunities not only gave us hands-on experience but also provided small financial resources that helped sustain us alongside the government stipend allowances.
Fast forward to my final year in 2024. I had applied for a six-month internship as a Media Library Assistant at a French institution. On the interview day, around 09:00 hours, while seated in the interview room, I felt my phone vibrate silently in my pocket. I told myself I would check it later. After the interview, I stepped outside and checked my phone. I found a missed call from a strange number and a message saying: “Is this Mupila Hilfred? This is HR, Legal Aid Board.”
I paused. “Legal Aid?” I asked myself. Then I remembered the job application letter I had written and submitted back in July 2024. Overwhelmed, I quickly bought airtime and called back. A woman responded, saying she only needed to confirm my name and number. After that call, I whispered to myself, “God, reveal Your grace.”
Three weeks later, I received an email confirming that I had passed the interview at the French institution and was expected to report for work around September 2024. It was a part-time paid internship. Before the reporting Day, I received another call from HR—this time scheduling my interview at the Legal Aid Board on the very day I was supposed to report for work at the French institution.
I quickly wrote to the French institution requesting a rescheduling of my reporting date, and they agreed. At that point, I fully turned to God. I knew these opportunities were not accidental. I prayed over every preparation. I spent many evenings at UNZA’s Goma Fields, singing and praying. I told God:
“I do not have connections. I do not have money to bribe anyone. The only connection I have is You, Father. Protect this opportunity. It will change not only my life, but also the lives of those who have invested in me and believe I can be their pillar.”
I even called my mother and asked her to pray with me.
On interview day at Government Complex, I found many other interviewees—some of them my seniors who had graduated earlier. One asked me, “How are you here for interviews when you have not even graduated?” I calmly replied, “I am not here by mistake. There is something deserving that made the recruiters call me. We are all here to try our luck.”
After the interview, we were told to wait two weeks for feedback. Life went on. I reported for my internship and focused on school. Two weeks passed—no feedback from Legal Aid. I assumed I was unsuccessful and concentrated on my studies and internship.
Then, on a Sunday afternoon in November 2024, around 15:00 hours, while doing research with my mates in my room, I received a call. I had been successful. I was instructed to report for work on 18th November 2024, with Zambezi District as my duty station.
Today, I live proudly with this testimony. My passion was never to leave university with just a degree certificate, but with a job opportunity earned through due process. I did everything a graduate could do—applied, interviewed, waited, prayed, and trusted the process.
This is my story. I pray that many other graduates will write their own stories genuinely, in different ways. Always remain hopeful, remain humble, and protect the integrity of those who are raising you.
I remain deeply grateful to everyone who contributed to this great testimony.
