Invest in your networks, capital and connections

The University of Cape Town’s (UCT) vice-chancellor (VC), Professor Mosa Moshabela, has welcomed top achieving matriculants to the institution, under the auspices of the VC Blue Carpet Scholarship. During a luncheon at his official residence, Glenara, Professor Moshabela thanked the students for making UCT their “university of choice”.

“We don’t take it for granted that you have other options in the country and the world, and you have had a lot of things to weigh in making a final decision; however, here you are – and I want to welcome you to the university,” said Moshabela.

Seventeen students arrived on Saturday, 7 March, to share their life stories and ambitions, and to begin building their networks as they embark on their journeys at university. “At this university, you are going to be forged – not for you to discover your limits, but to realise that you can always rise above. The world of today knows that intellect is not enough to succeed, lead or make a difference in the world; you’ll need more, and that’s why you’ll have to take advantage of all the opportunities we have to offer. I hope you all start investing in your networks, capital and connections now.”

The VC was joined by members of the executive, including Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Transformation, Student Affairs and Social Responsiveness Professor Elelwani Ramugondo; academic administration director, Tabile Loqo; chief financial officer, Vincent Motholo; as well as director of admissions, Gcinumzi Haduse.

When the VC calls

A recurring story among the students was the anticipation of the phone call from the VC, who makes it a point to personally inform recipients that they will be joining this well-established group of achievers. Luyanda Ndhlozi – a first-year mechatronics student from “The Place of the Rising Sun” – corrected her initial introduction from “I’m from a small town in Volksrust”, to noting that she was no longer sure it was small, given the attention her matric success brought to the town as one of Mpumalanga’s top matric performers.

“I’m excited to be in this diverse space. There is room to grow and develop, from what I can tell. People back home are looking to me for inspiration, which is exciting because my success will not just be mine, but it will belong to everyone,” said Ndhlozi. “UCT was my first option, and it was justified when the VC informed that he wanted to have a chat with me [about the scholarship]. I reacted with a heart emoji. My sister saw my response to the message, and she couldn’t believe I had done that. But I ended up structuring a decent response to the VC.”

After completing her degree and getting work experience, Ndhlozi said that she would like to start her own company and specialise in mechatronic systems for the medical and automation industries.

Medicine student, Declan Wood, described himself as a “passionate academic”, who “loves his sport, particularly water polo”.

“Studying medicine means I’m in it for the long haul and I’m truly privileged to be here. With UCT’s incredible reputation in medicine – not only in the country, but the world – choosing UCT was a no-brainer,” he said.

“A combination of hard work and balance have brought me to not only the course, but the scholarship. I was on holiday when the VC called and I ran to my parents because it came as a big shock, but it was also incredible to have the one-on-one interaction with him. It was a great feeling.”

BCom in Economics and Finance student Neesa Ajoodha is following her passion while at the university. “On an academic level, I knew UCT was the one. [The VC] is someone who makes you feel like he wants you to be at the university. That was special for me and that has made me feel welcome.”

Ajoodha’s future includes becoming a lecturer, so how does she assess the state of institutions, even this early in her own higher education journey? “Educational institutions need to make sure they leave no one behind, and when I become a lecturer, that will be my focus – I’d hate the idea of someone going to university and feeling like they do not know what is going on or even feel they do not know where to reach out to find out what is going on.”