From the left: Top students Rethabile Mochela, Joseph Alappattu,
Zintle Jameson, Gaolatlhe Kepadisa and Charles De Meillon.
Photo: GradStar 2017 Top 100 Awards

The 2017 GradStar awards took place on 27 September 2017 at the Indaba Hotel in Johannesburg.  GradStar aims to recognise some of the most talented and employable students from across the country, and connect them with the top employers and graduate programmes. Applicants progressed through a rigorous four-stage process to narrow the 3 500 applications down to the top-100 list.

No fewer than five students from the University of the Free State managed to claim a spot on the top-100 list. Congratulations to Joseph Alappattu (BSc Actuarial Sciences student), Zintle Jameson (BCom Financial Economics honours student), Rethabile Mochela (Bachelor of Law, LLB student), Charles de Meillon (Bachelor of Law, LLB student) and Gaolatlhe Kepadisa (BCom Investment Management and Banking student).

Prominent speakers at the GradStar gala dinner included management consultant and motivational speaker, Dr David Molapo, and the youngest MP in South African history, the Honourable Hlomela Bucwa. During her address, Bucwa said: “We find ourselves in a critical time in history, particularly as young people, a time in which we must discover our generational mission - for the sake of our nation and for future generations.” With the glamorous event, behind them, the top-100 students will build on their previous years of hard work to make a meaningful contribution to their respective sectors.

The GradStar Awards provide an exciting platform to network with potential employers from different industries and like-minded students from across South Africa. “It is a unique opportunity to learn more about oneself through psychometric testing, problem-solving and team-work exercises,” says participant Gaolatlhe Kepadisa.