​​​A husband-and-wife team, Bryan Bergsteedt and Nicola Bruns, who are both staff members at Stellenbosch University (SU), were each awarded their fourth SU degree during the same graduation ceremony.Bergsteedt graduated with a Post-graduate Diploma in Leadership Development (cum laude) and Bruns with a Post-graduate Diploma in Future Studies. Bergsteedt lectures in clinical anatomy at the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, while Bruns is a guest lecturer for the BPhil Hons in Journalism programme.Both started studying in 2012 and Bergsteedt graduated with a BSc in Human Life Sciences in 2014, a BSc Hons in Human Anatomy (2015), and an MSc in Human Anatomy (2018).  Bruns completed her BA in Drama and Theatre Studies in 2014, her BPhil Hons in Journalism (2015) and her MPhil in Journalism (2018).AccomplishmentsBergsteedt is the chairperson of SU's Institutional Forum, one of the statutory bodies that review all policies that come through the University and report to the SU Council. Bergsteedt, a first-generation student who is originally from Johannesburg, and Bruns, who is from Paarl, said they are thrilled to be graduating together.“It's amazing. I really love the fact that we share these accomplishments along the way," Bergsteedt said.The couple met in 2015 in unusual circumstances. “I was deputy forum chair at the post-graduate residence, Huis Russel Botman, and Bryan was doing his honours in anatomy. I received a series of emails from people in the residence who said terrible smells were coming from the first floor and I seriously needed to sort this out," Bruns said.“I knocked on Bryan's door and when he opened it, I said: 'What's going on here?' He told me he was dealing with a forensic police case and the smells from his investigation were lingering on his scrubs, even though he had washed them three times. I made him throw the scrubs away. It was terrible!“Then I thought to myself, this guy is either really weird or really clever. The rest is history!"CompetitiveAsked how they came to be studying for their fourth degree at the same time, Bergsteedt said they are both “extremely competitive".“Towards the end of 2020, Nicola came to me and said she'd found a course she was interested in – the Post-graduate Diploma in Future Studies. She was accepted immediately. I thought about it for a while and concluded that she seriously cannot have one degree more than I. So, I enrolled for the Post-graduate Diploma in Leadership Development.“It made a lot of sense. I had just been elected chair of the Institutional Forum. I thought it was a great step in terms of my development. I had done very research-based degrees and, as a lecturer, I've continued in the research space. This course took me out of my comfort zone. It was a great opportunity to understand myself and it challenged me to think about my circumstances, my background and how I can use these to inform my leadership style in the academic space."Bruns said she decided on the one-year Post-graduate Diploma in Future Studies whilst working as a producer for CapeTalk's Afternoon Drive Show with John Maytham. “I realised that, in the news world, we are always reporting on the now – whether it is the Zondo Commission or Eskom or whatever. It is always the story of today. We don't stop to think about the possible scenarios of what might play out. The stage I was at, coupled with personal change, a career change I wanted to go for and my fear of change, made me realise I want to look at the future realistically and I want to develop a toolbox to do so. “The course was unbelievable, and it has changed the way I look towards the future. I hate change, but the course made me look at scenarios that might play out in the future and how to deal with them. It has had such a positive effect on my life."