Nyitheni Nyoka
Photo: Thabo Kessah

Graduating with a BSc Honours degree in Life Sciences (cum laude) is a rare occasion. But for Ngitheni Nyoka, there was more. Earlier this year, she graduated with a BSc Honours degree in Life Sciences (cum laude) hours after arriving back from the weeklong 27th Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) Europe international conference in Brussels, Belgium.

“This was the best week of my life, as I tasted the best of both worlds. First I was surrounded by and interacted with a host of international environmental scientists during the conference in Belgium, and then I was celebrating with family and friends during the graduations,” she said. She also acknowledged her supervisor, Dr Patrick Voua Otomo from the Department of Zoology and Entomology on the Qwaqwa Campus.

Nyoka is an ambitious young woman who does not allow her rural and disadvantaged background to dictate her future.

“My grand plan is to attain my PhD in 2021. I am currently an MSc candidate, and if it wasn’t for the long experiments, I would have pushed myself to complete it this year.”

Talking about her experiences abroad, she believes there are many opportunities to be seized.

“The Brussels conference opened my eyes for collaborations and other opportunities in research. These include newly developed methods and fully acknowledging other people’s work,” she said.

Beyond her PhD, Nyoka already has her eyes set on supervising other students.

“I see myself playing a role in research and imparting knowledge and experience through mentoring and supervising students from disadvantaged backgrounds.”

Nyoka’s study is on the effects of agro-pesticides on non-target soil organisms such as earthworms and pot worms. She hails from Sandlwane in Bergville, KwaZulu-Natal.