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Micah Dimaculangan, who graduated with a Master’s of Medical Sciences with specialisation in Virology on Friday (22 April 2022) during the Faculty of Health Sciences graduation ceremony, credits Prof Felicity Burt, from the Division of Virology in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the UFS, as well as the National Health Laboratory Service, for her obtaining this degree with a distinction.

Dimaculangan and her sister, Lizette Marie, graduated a day apart during the April graduation week and she says it is very special to share this moment together. On Thursday (21 April 2022) Lizette Marie graduated with a Bachelor of Sciences Honours Degree majoring in Mathematical Statistics with distinction. She obtained her first degree, a BSc in Actuarial Sciences last year. 

According to Dimaculangan, she decided to specialise in virology when she developed an interest in infectious diseases after learning about pathogens and vaccine development from Prof (Robert) Bragg (Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry). “I was particularly interested in infectious diseases affecting humans, so I decided to apply for the Medical Microbiology and Virology Honours programme at the Faculty of Health Sciences. I was fortunate to have Prof Burt as my supervisor because she encouraged me to pursue my Master's in Virology. Prof Burt is the best supervisor and she is the reason I got a distinction.”

According to Dimaculangan, it is fitting that she and her sister graduated in the same week as they “pulled some all-nighters together”. They are also each other’s biggest fans and could not be more proud of themselves.

Lizette Marie, who works as a data analytics graduate at a company in Johannesburg, says it is very special to graduate in the same week as her sister. The sisters, who matriculated from Eunice High School in Bloemfontein, say this is the end of their studies.

Motivation

Dimaculangan says their parents worked hard to ensure that they received a decent education. In return, they worked hard to ensure their parents’ efforts were not in vain. Says Dimaculangan: “After receiving my first academic bursary, I worked hard to maintain my grades to continue to receive this bursary. Her achievements were the ‘cherry on top’. She says: “Successful people inspire me. To see what people can achieve through hard work and determination is inspiring - a cliché but true!”

More viruses in the future

Dimaculangan says more viruses are likely in the future, particularly zoonotic viruses which are transmitted between animals and humans, and arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) which are transmitted to humans/ animals by arthropod vectors such as mosquitoes and ticks.

According to her, to prevent these outbreaks from happening, “we need to increase awareness of ‘One Health’ and how the health of people, animals, and the environment are linked to one another.

“We also need to implement more viral surveillance and detection programmes, especially in endemic areas (where the viruses are known to circulate) and areas where ‘spillover infections’ from animals to people are most likely to occur.”

Master’s sisters

Sisters Angelique Carson-Porter (left) and Marielle Robertson also got to share the graduation stage on Friday during the Faculty of Health Sciences graduation ceremony where they both graduated with master’s degrees.  (Photo: Supplied)

Another set of sisters, Angelique Carson-Porter and Marielle Robertson, also got to share the graduation stage on Friday (22 April 2022) during the Faculty of Health Sciences graduation ceremony when they both graduated with master’s degrees. Carson-Porter, a Junior Lecturer in the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of the Free State (UFS), graduated with a master’s degree in Dietetics, and Robertson with a master’s degree in Physiotherapy.

“I feel very unique and grateful to share the entire experience with her. We started together and made sure we finished together too. It is a challenge to study and work, but my colleagues are very supportive and my family (husband and children) have also been very supportive,” says Carson-Porter. She is currently busy with an HPEA module (a partial master’s) and would also like to pursue her PhD.

She says her inspiration to complete her master’s in Dietetics was her daughter, London, who passed away in 2018.. Robertson has been a physio at Universitas Academic Hospital since 2009.