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25 May 2018 Photo Supplied
Kovsies back Margo as Miss SA Top-12 finalist
#MargoForMissSA

Co-director of the non-profit organisation A&M Foundation, hair influencer at Shea Moisture South Africa, part-time teacher and mentor, Margo Fargo said: “I come from a community and background that doesn’t necessarily have all the resources and opportunities for me to be in this position, but that gives me hope, and I have faith that it will encourage someone to believe that it is possible to achieve what you set your mind to, and work for it despite the circumstances.”

Kovsie’s very own Margo Fargo strikes the iron while it’s hot, as she competes in the Miss South Africa Beauty Pageant as a top-12 finalist.

UFS alumni have developed a knack for achieving admirable accomplishments, and Fargo is standing by to take the flight to new heights.

When asked what makes her stand out, the BSc Consumer Sciences honours graduate replied, “My story; no two contestants are the same physically and intellectually, we are all so different and the fact that I am myself sets me apart.”

Fargo believes that Miss South Africa needs to be a leader in countless ways, having a formidable but teachable spirit to continually grow through encounters and experiences. She feels that the candidate should be unapologetic for who she is and be strong-willed, as she represents many people as well as an entire nation. Fargo strongly believes that the Miss South Africa Beauty Pageant is an important institute in the country, as it aids women with characteristic traits and mechanisms that enable them to make a visible and worthy difference in their communities.

“I come from a community and background
that doesn’t necessarily have all the
resources and opportunities for me
to be in this position, but that gives
me hope, and I have faith that
it will motivate someone else
to believe that it is possible
to achieve what, you set
your mind to, and work for it
despite the circumstances.”
—Margo Fargo

The 25-year-old from Heidedal, Bloemfontein, explained that breaking into the pageant industry made her feel like a fish out of water. Fargo found great difficulty throughout the journey to this point in her life; however, she stressed that the rejection she was subjected to was brutal but very much needed, as it has given her a thick skin. She also emphasised the honour it was to be associated with an organisation of the calibre of the Miss South Africa Beauty Pageant.

Fargo dreams of herself as a well-established brand, with her own businesses, doing compelling work that creates sustainable jobs in industries including wellness, entertainment, and working with people. She concluded by saying, “We need each other, for we are stronger together.” The university is proud to count Fargo among its alumni, and the Kovsie community wishes her all the best in this adventure.

News Archive

Monkey research attracts international attention
2016-07-11

Description: Monkey research attracts international attention  Tags: Monkey research attracts international attention

Prof Trudy Turner from the University of
Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Prof Paul Grobler
from the Department of Genetics at the
University of the Free State, together with one
of the students researching monkey genes.
Photo: Siobhan Canavan

For this year’s Summer School programme, Prof Paul Grobler, from the University of the Free State Department of Genetics focuses on research about the conflict between monkeys and humans in areas where monkeys are regarded as problem animals.

Global expert part of research

This year, Prof Grobler is hosting a group of students and lecturers from the United States of America (USA). The group includes Prof Trudy Turner from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), a global expert on vervet monkeys. She has been working with the Department of Genetics at the UFS for the past fifteen years, and has also been appointed as an Affiliated Professor in the department.

“The Summer School programme is an opportunity for the American Primatology students to gain practical experience in Africa,” says Prof Grobler.

International interest in Summer School

This year’s Summer School programme involves four lecturers and nine students. The lecturers are from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Boston University, and Central Washington University.

“We use the genetic information to determine
how monkeys historically infiltrated the
different areas in South Africa.”

This year’s focus is on the genetic structure of the monkeys in South Africa, and research that is being done on the differences and similarities in monkeys from different areas. “We use the genetic information to determine how monkeys historically infiltrated the different areas in South Africa,” says Prof Grobler.

Local nature reserve acting as host

The group will perform field work, including observing monkeys in the Soetdoring Nature Reserve, as well as laboratory work in the department, where they will be assisted by two laboratory technicians.

Two years ago, Prof Grobler and his department tested this idea on a smaller scale, and now they hope to make this a regular event. 

 

 

 

 

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