Marise Havenga from Hoërskool Reitz, winner of the prize for Sparkling Personality, walks down the red carpet
At a gala event held on the University of the Free State (UFS) Bloemfontein Campus, the top 14 entrants in the 35th Volksblad Matriculant of the Year competition were given an opportunity to share their vision with the invited guests.
In his introductory speech, Johan Brits, an 18-year-old learner from the Hoër Landbouskool Jacobsdal outside Kimberley, had this to say: “I think the Matriculant of the Year must be a philanthropist and a supporter of the youth.” Johan will be studying Actuarial Sciences next year at our university, and will stay in House Abraham Fischer. He was crowned the winner of the 2015 Matriculant of the Year competition. Amongst others, he received the following prizes: R22 000 bursary, an overseas trip of his choice to the value of R65 000, and the use of a Volkswagen Polo for a year.
Several other prizes were also awarded during the evening. Marise Havenga from Hoërskool Reitz walked away with the prize for Sparkling Personality, an award voted for by the finalists themselves, winning a travel voucher to the value of R5 000. Mia Nel of the Gekombineerde Skool Christiana won best achievement in sport, and Jemima Meyer of Hoërskool Jim Fouché received the prize for her outstanding cultural achievements, which she accomplished while maintaining an academic average of between 93% and 95%. Each winner received R5 000 from the Kovsie Alumni Trust.
Top achievers and leaders in their respective schools are encouraged to enter for the Matriculant of the Year competition, which is hosted by the University of the Free State in conjunction with Volksblad and several other sponsors. Fantastic prizes and bursaries can be won. For more information, please contact Linda Greyling at +27(0)51 401 3384 or greylinl@ufs.ac.za.