December 2021 – End-of-year-report

What kind of problems did you have at University before the Kulu Manzi scholarship and how did the scholarship change the situation?

One of the main problems was funding. I always struggled with getting registered on time because of the lack of funding or secured funding. Some funders would change their minds weeks before the registration date, leaving me with the stress of having to get the amount.

Did the scholarship also have an effect on anything else (work, personal life, etc.)?

It took away the stress of having to worry about tuition fees. This way I could focus on my studies and tasks at hand. And it helped me knowing that I had your full on support with everything I do.

Did the scholarship fulfil your expectations? What was good / not good? What could we have done better?

That and more! It was one of the best scholarships because it gave me time to reflect every month. If it wasn’t for the monthly reports, I probably wouldn’t have had the time to reflect in the business that we called life. I can now look back and see that you guys helped more than financially.

I wish we could’ve done more outreaches and community work but COVID curbed that, hopefully in the future!

Would you recommend the Kulu Manzi program to other students?

Most DEFINITELY! It is really one of the best scholarships out there with all the support that I got from the scholarship.

What were your key learnings and achievements in the past year?

I would say looking back now, my main achievement will have to be that I learnt to set up boundaries and say no (I’m still learning and working on it daily). Other achievements will have to be the progress I am making on my masters with getting clearance and then passing my modules, all this while working every day and being an athlete. Also setting things in place that I never thought I am capable of and then seeing it happen.

How did your academic work evolve in 2021?

WOW! Where do I start? Thanks to this scholarship I could register! I could finally send my masters proposal to the ethical board and after 2 rounds got the ethical clearance and I could start with my data collection. Got clearance from the WCED and can now do the data collection and then start with my write up and then God willing complete my masters! I also had 3 weeks of back to back classes and assignments etc. got the results for that and I passed it all with excellent marks! So if it wasn’t for this scholarship and the grace of God I would not have been able to achieve any of this!

How did Campus life change during the last 12 months?

Basically, everything was online and no one was on campus, only if you were a final year student, doing practicals. The vibe of being a UWC student was not there anymore because we couldn’t experience it. We had to meet “off camera” if we wanted to meet our classmates.

How did Covid influence your life (personal and academic) in the last year?

As mentioned in my previous report, COVID had a good and bad influence on both aspects. Because of COVID doors opened when it came to jobs and gaining the necessary experience needed to make my academics a success. It helped me in gaining clarity on a lot of things personally about what I want in the future and using my academics to get there. 

What are your plans for 2022? Do you have any new year’s resolutions?

Definitely finish my masters, get my driver’s license and upskill in my area of expertise and other fields that interest me. And apparently enter for Miss South Africa? To live more out of the box, have less fear (be fearless). Trust my gut more and just to go for it!