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Friends beat the odds by achieving second degrees together

21 April 2022 | Story NONSINDISO QWABE | Photo Supplied

Their friendship began in high school, where they were constantly told by teachers that they would not make it to university, but these best friends never gave up. On Thursday 21 April 2022, they received their honours degrees in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences together during the afternoon ceremony of the University of the Free State’s April Graduations.

Lerato Mbongo and Opheleleyo Qwabe, who have been friends since Grade 9, said being picked on in class for not being the brightest learners brought them together and motivated them to work harder.Mbongo obtained a Bachelor of Agriculture Honours majoring in Wildlife Management, and Qwabe received a Bachelor of Agriculture Honours majoring in Agricultural Economics.

“We’ve always dreamed big, but if you had told us back then that we would one day be two-time graduates, we wouldn’t have believed it. During one of our Maths lessons back in Grade 9, our teacher went around asking the ‘smarter’ kids what they wanted to study after matric, but when he got to us, he said there was no point in asking because we wouldn’t make it that far anyway,” Qwabe said.

The friends, who both started at the university’s South Campus, said they were grateful for the UFS Preparation Programme, as it boosted both their marks and their confidence. “The programme helped us to believe in ourselves again, and also played a big role in helping us discover what we wanted to study. The courses we enrolled in really unlocked an unstoppable passion in us and helped us realise that nothing is impossible. Today, here we are celebrating 10 years of friendship, and our honours degrees. We’ve conquered once again, and we're sharing our victories together,” Mbongo said.

News Archive

SRC President receives Abe Bailey Bursary

2012-08-02

Richard Chemaly

He is the president of the Student Representative Council, holds leadership positions of various organisations and is a member of Mensa, an organisation for people with a high IQ. With a list of achievements that keeps on growing, Richard Chemaly seems destined for great things.

This Kovsie student has been named one of 17 students countrywide who received the sought after Abe Bailey Travel Bursary for 2012. He was chosen from hundreds of UFS applicants and will depart for Britain in November, to visit several universities in England and Scotland. He will travel with the other bursary holders.

Richard, a postgraduate LL.B. student, says it is a great honour to follow in the footsteps of previous Abe Bailey bursary holders such as Philip Tobias, Max Price, Tony Frost and Eusebius McKaiser. “It certainly is a stepping stone and one I intend to make the most of.”

He hopes that the experience will broaden his knowledge. “I'll be grateful for whatever I learn as learning is what makes up my human experience.”

Richard says he has not planned much yet for his visit to Britain. “I do, however, intend to go to a quaint book shop in London called Collinge & Clark, which is on my bucket list. It's the store where Dylan Moran - a big influence in my life - filmed his series, Black Books.”

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