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12 December 2019 | Story Xolisa Mnukwa | Photo Xolisa Mnukwa
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(From the left) Mia, Dahné, Chrisna, and Doré, who have been friends since Grade 8, pushed through the academic struggle and realised their dream of becoming doctors together in record time. #UFSGraduation2019
They have been friends since Grade eight, starting high school together at Hoër Meisieskool Oranje in Bloemfontein. More than a decade later, friends Dahné Beukes, Chrisna Goosen, Mia Vosloo, and Doré de Necker are still doing things together – this time adding the title of doctor to their names on the same day. The four friends graduated together at the 2019 December graduation ceremonies of the University of the Free State, obtaining their MB ChB qualifications. 

A combination of emotions ranging from stress and frustration, to ultimate excitement and gratitude, with a lot of support from her family and close friends, is how Beukes described the six years it took to complete her degree. She described her future as a pool filled with opportunities that she hopes will eventually lead her to working abroad.  
“The key to success is maintaining balance in life, and this can be achieved through your friendships,” Beukes explained the friendship she maintained with her fellow Hoër Meisieskool Oranje friends. 
 
Beukes’ sentiments are echoed by Vosloo, who says she is grateful for being able to surround herself with people who share her values and beliefs and helped build her into the version of herself that she is today.

Vosloo will complete her medical internship at the Port Elizabeth Livingstone Hospital in 2020, and says she aspires to specialise in psychiatry and ultimately settle down and start a family. 

“I believe it's good to be flexible and not have your mind set on something too specific, because things rarely go according to plan; so, I’m trying to enjoy the ride. As long as I can have a dog wherever life takes me, I'll probably be happy,” she reflected.  

Newlywed Goosen, now Chrisna Krügel, looks forward to completing her medical internship alongside her husband, Tinus Krügel, who also obtained his degree during the December graduation ceremonies.

She explained that studying medicine was challenging, and that she sometimes experienced difficulty maintaining a lot of her friendships, resulting in her keeping only her closest friends. 

Goosen implores the incoming batch of medical students to remain humble and to make full use of the opportunities the university offers them in order to make a success of their studies. 

De Necker also offers advice for incoming first-year medical students. 

“Study hard, always have the bigger picture in mind when things get rough, and make friends in your classes early on, as they will be walking the academic road with you for a couple of years.”

“It's been amazing to see my fellow high school classmates growing through these years, all three of them have shown great character,” she explained. 

News Archive

UFS community makes difference through Big Give Project
2016-06-10



Food for the needy. From left is Annelize Visagie, Health and Wellness;
Vicky Simpson, No Student Hungry Food Bursary Programme;
Elizabeth Msadu, Health and Wellness; and Lorinda Slippers, Student
Representative Council Rag Community Service, at the handover of
the food and cash collected by the RAG Big Give Project.
Photo: Jóhann Thormählen

Thanks to the caring community of the University of the Free State (UFS), students in need were provided for during exams, and will receive more food in the cold winter months.

Once again, staff and students made valuable contributions at the successful RAG Big Give Project, where food contributions of R 38 176.20 and cash donations of R25 000 were received. Staff, residences, and the RAG Committee made these donations as part of the project on 5 May 2016, when contributions were made at the Bloemfontein Campus gates of the UFS. An extra donation by Imperium, a residence on the Bloemfontein Campus, of R20 000 for FutureLife helped to achieve the grand total of food contributions.

According to Vicky Simpson, Assistant Officer at the No Student Hungry Food Bursary Programme (NSH), the food donation is for a designated group of students who have already been identified as food insecure by the social work office. “It will be distributed to them on a monthly basis,” she said.

The handover of food collected was done on 25 May 2016 at the RAG Food store by the RAG Office to Health and Wellness and the NSH. The RAG Office thanked the UFS community for its contributions to the project. Parexel, who made cash and food donations, received special mention. Simpson said “the food will make a huge difference in the lives of students who do not know where their next meal will come from”.

According to Jaco Faul, Senior Assistant Officer Rag CS, his office is already looking forward to the next instalment of the Big Give Project. “We challenge faculties and staff members for the forthcoming Rag Big Give project in October to see if we can beat the amount collected this time.”

 

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