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07 April 2020 | Story Rulanzen Martin | Photo Supplied
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Nadia Smith aspires to become a music therapist and is grateful for the experience she has gained.

To engage in a service learning project is equal to “one hand washing the other”. This is how Nadia Smith, recipient of this year’s UFS Service Learning Award views the concept of service learning. 

Smith is a third-year BMus student in the Odeion School of Music (OSM) at the University of the Free State (UFS). “It is indeed a privilege to be rewarded as the best Service Learning student and receive the 2002 UFS Service Learning Award,” Smith says.

Service learning has been incorporated into the UFS curriculum as a module in 2020. Students have the opportunity to gain practical experience and apply and execute theory by teaching others in disadvantaged communities who benefit from the service provided by gaining new knowledge and skills. 
Smith’s service module required her to teach at the Brandwag Primary School in Bloemfontein. “On Friday afternoons we had the opportunity to teach music to learners who otherwise would not have been exposed to music education,” Smith says. The service learning module varies from programme to programme. “The Brandwag learners received us gracefully and participated with enthusiasm during lessons. I truly realised the value of these classes when the learners asked us to teach more frequently.” 

Agent of change in the making

Smith strives to be an active agent of change with her involvement in numerous community-based projects including the OSM Music Education Marimba project in Heidedal in Bloemfontein. “The project aims to teach marimba to children from the Heidedal community which culminates in a concert by the children at the end of the year,” she says. This project is in collaboration with the Reach Our Community foundation

Apart from her role in the Heidedal project she has also been teaching at the Lettie Fouche School in Bloemfontein. “It is very rewarding to experience the positive influence of music education on the children and to observe their development in various areas as a result of exposure to classroom music,” Smith says. 

“As a music student striving to eventually become a music therapist I am grateful for opportunities to gain exposure and experience in various fields.”

News Archive

Because you can do the undoable
2014-05-30


Gabriela Schroder

Since visiting the University of Vermont in 2011 as an F1 student and attending the Stanford Sophomore College the year after, Gabriela Schroder has never stopped dreaming and working towards her objectives.

During the autumn graduation earlier in 2014, Gabriela received the Dean’s Medal. This award goes to the final-year student who achieves the best results in respect of a first Bachelor’s degree in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences. Her triumph did not end there. In addition, she also received the Senate’s Medal and Prize which is awarded to the best Bachelor’s degree student at the university. Across all the faculties of our university. 

“Although these medals came to me as a surprise, it really was a reward to my hard work and toil throughout my undergraduate years,” she said. Schroder was also honoured and introduced by Prof Jonathan Jansen on stage at this year’s Kovsie Open Day, along with other top achieving students. She believes that anybody can reach their goals if they are willing to make sacrifices and through focus, hard work and determination. 

One of her favourite quotes that motives her is of Albert Einstein, “You really understand something if you can explain it to your grandmother.” In the process of learning, one must break down what they are working towards. She advises to make the knowledge your own – this develops a better insight into the concept. In the end, that which is regarded as complex is originally built from simple principles.

Schroder is currently studying towards her BSc Honours in Biochemistry at Kovsies. She has her sights set on a master’s degree in the near future.

“To my fellow Kovsies and beyond: seize your opportunities. Don’t be afraid to think the unthinkable – because you can do the undoable,” she added.

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