Beginnings
292 Words
Episode 1: Beginning
Being a girl has never been easy — especially in a world ruled by content creators, celebrities, and all those wild social media trends.
Meet Maya Adams, a 19-year-old girl who’s nothing like most people her age. While others chase likes and followers, Maya chases adventure. She loves exploring, capturing photos of anything that catches her eye — from the sunrise over rooftops to the laughter of children playing in the streets.
She lives in Umlazi, a busy township in Durban, with her single mother and three siblings. Life isn’t always easy. Her mom works hard to provide for them, and sometimes even the basics can be a struggle. But Maya never lets that dim her spirit. Every afternoon, she takes long walks through her neighborhood, camera in hand, searching for beauty in the simple things around her.
Going to university always felt like a dream she couldn’t afford. She wanted to study photography professionally, but with her family’s situation, it seemed impossible. Still, Maya kept hoping.
Then one quiet night, while scrolling through her phone, a notification popped up — an email from UKZN University. Her heart raced as she opened it.
> “Congratulations, Maya Adams. You have been accepted for the two-year Adventurous Photography course at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.”
Maya froze. For a moment, she couldn’t believe her eyes. Tears filled her eyes — happy ones.
The course would begin next year, and the application fee was R5,000. She didn’t have the money yet, but she wasn’t ready to give up. It was only the beginning of August — she still had four months to make her dream come true.
For Maya, this wasn’t just a letter.
It was the start of her adventure.
- Writer
