An Eccentric Hero

“I have kneeled, I have followed and now I wish to lead.” said Garth Elzerman in front of dozens of ravenous students at lunch time in the dining hall during the Student Representative Council (SRC) elections. Garth Elzerman has made sure that he is not your average student. Yet like the average first year student, he too was nervous and paradoxically, excited at the prospect of coming to Rhodes in 2008. To move from that comfort zone everyone has worked so hard to create throughout high school into the unknown.
Garth was very independent and introverted in school and his main concern about starting afresh at university was whether or not he would be accepted. Of course, this fear turned out to be superficial as the majority of students accepted him although a few were somewhat rude. “A few rotten apples which should be thrown in the bin” says Garth with his articulated accent. His overriding experience of Rhodes is in fact, one of acceptance. “Because of the universities unique- diverse spectrum of students, the atmosphere is very accepting...and this has helped me to open up and be myself.”, he says sitting across from the bench in the cool evening air.
To Garth Elzerman, being himself, means being eccentric. To some this endearing characteristic is what makes him their hero and to others their villain. “I do not like merely being another number, I like to stand out and I like to think I am a progressive thinker” Garth says smartly, smiling with his light green eyes. Being eccentric also makes him comfortable along with setting him apart from the masses.
His eccentric nature is part of what separates him from the usual ragger muffin student you would come across on the street or bunking lectures. Garth sports a well groomed side path and a trimmed moustache. His attire is smart and clean cut. However, as reserved as he may look, Garth is very opened minded, not only because of who he is, but because if his interactions with the large variety of young people at university. “The University provides the opportunity to develop the mind, but it is up to the students to take up those opportunities” States Garth matter-of-factly, adding that he thinks that he has definitely progressed at university.
From the nervous young first year that arrived at university, Garth’s progress is obvious, he has run for the SRC and has won; now he is the Societies Representative. Sitting on a committee is enjoyable for Garth and is where part of his comfort zone lies. In school he sat on and chaired many committees, so this was nothing new for him. Garth believes that societies are the backbone of any institute’s cultural sector.The enormous support Garth received during the SRC elections is his best experience at Rhodes so far. “The support I received is a testament to the camaraderie and family bond between the students in the university” he comments.
Yet despite this wonderful success, Garth has felt like giving up and going home. “University is a new and daunting environment for first years and I could tell them it is going to be easy and fun,” advises Garth, “but in the beginning it is scary and frightful and first years are not sure in which direction they are going to go. I, myself, felt at a stage that I did not know what I wanted to do and felt like giving up, but what one should remember, is that in the past many people have gone through the same thing and they have made it”. This little bit of advice is what has helped Garth through his first year and is what makes him the hero, because it is a hero’s sterling character and wise integrity that sets him above and helps him succeed in life.