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21 April 2022 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Leonie Bolleurs
Annemien and Almare
Anne-Mien Schoombie and Almaré de Bruin.

The month of April not only announced the turn of a season, but also the first series of face-to-face graduation ceremonies for the University of the Free State (UFS).

On Thursday 21 April 2022, Anne-Mien Schoombie and Almaré de Bruin received the Dean’s Medals in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences as the overall best achievers in the third- and fourth-year groups, respectively.

Making people’s lives easier

Anne-Mien, who enrolled for a BIS Multimedia honours degree at the University of Pretoria, received her degree in BSc Information Technology majoring in Data Science at the UFS. After completing her honours degree, she wants to pursue a career in software development.

With both parents in the mathematical field (her father was an applied mathematics professor at the UFS prior to his passing away), Anne-Mien also has a strong aptitude for mathematics. Thinking ahead – looking for the best access to job opportunities – she decided to study a combination of statistics (rather than pure mathematics) and computer science. She believes the BSc IT degree with a major in Data Science will not only allow her greater access to job opportunities one day, but also the opportunity to improve her current strengths.

“As software developer, I hope to contribute to projects that will make people's lives easier. It is very important for me to be able to give back, as I have been blessed with many opportunities in my own life,” says Anne-Mien.

Being extremely grateful for receiving the Dean’s Medal, Anne-Mien reveals that God motivated her. “I realise that the strengths I have are God-given. The only way in which I can show my gratitude is by using every opportunity to improve my strengths so that I may use it to help others.”

Contributing towards sustainability and food innovation

Almaré, who has always been passionate about food, says Consumer Studies was her favourite subject when she was in high school. She knew that she had to pursue studies in this field when she visited the Department of Consumer Science (now the Department of Sustainable Food Systems and Development) during the 2017 UFS Open Day.

“I immediately felt at home in the Department of Consumer Science when I started my studies in 2018. I really enjoyed learning from lecturers who are passionate about their fields of study and who are eager to share their knowledge. My studies opened my eyes to the world of food and allowed me the space to grow my passion for food security and product development,” she says.

During her honours studies, she developed raisin spread for children. “I thoroughly enjoyed the process, as well as the challenge, of developing a food product from scratch,” says Almaré, who is motivated by opportunities to learn. One of her favourite quotes is work with heart, not just hard. “This quote always motivates me to put my heart and soul into everything I do.”

Currently enrolled for her master’s degree in Consumer Science focusing on food security, Almaré says she would one day like to apply her knowledge of food security and food product development to make a positive contribution towards sustainability and food innovation.

About receiving the Dean’s Medal, she states that it is an immense honour and blessing. “It is also a confirmation that hard work never goes unnoticed,” Almaré adds.

Acknowledging the best of the best

A total of 617 undergraduate students in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences graduated during the April Graduation ceremony. The undergraduate programme in the faculty that delivered the largest number of students, is the Bachelor of Agriculture majoring in Animal Production Management, seeing a total of 44 students graduating.

The department in the faculty that saw the most undergraduate students (nine) graduating with distinction, is the Department of Sustainable Food Systems and Development, with its Bachelor of Consumer Science programme. Head of Department, Prof Johan van Niekerk, says, “We believe that a student’s ‘motivation’ is everything. Therefore, the lecturers regard their students as the essence of their being. They develop and deliver programmes that ensure well-rounded people, driven by sound values. Our students are independent problem solvers. The teaching and learning programmes are meaningful, following best practices and innovation. It prepares our students optimally within their respective spheres of interest.”

“Delivering high-calibre students is our ultimate academic goal. It includes how the student, lecturer, and institution have attained their short- and long-term educational goals. We strive to advance relevant knowledge and develop employable, innovative, and diverse graduates to co-create value for society.”

A total of 45 students in the faculty graduated with distinction in the 65 undergraduate programmes that awarded degrees during the April graduation.

News Archive

Researcher transforms despair into diamonds
2016-01-18

PhD candidate, Lerato Machetela and some members of the group Diamonds in the Rough having some fun between rehearsals.

Awash in hopelessness, substance abuse, violence, and sexual promiscuity. This is the lived reality of the youth in Jagersfontein. But now Lerato Machetela is using her research to change it.

As a PhD candidate in Trauma, Forgiveness, and Reconciliation Studies at the University of the Free State (UFS), Machetela assembled a group of 14 young men – ranging between the ages of 9 and 18 – who call themselves Jagersfontein’s Diamonds in the Rough. Combining elements from psychology, education, and entertainment, Machetela has established a platform that grounds these young ones adrift in circumstances. By means of song and dance, these young ones have become grounded through creativity.

While discussing what it means to be free in the new South Africa, Machetela asked the group to come up with a song similar to the struggle song, ‘Nelson Mandela usi litheli ixolo’.

Jagersfontein’s Diamonds in the Rough Researcher, Lerato Machetela, combines psychology, education, and entertainment to ground local youths through creativity.

The result: He’s a teenager, but he drinks Hansa.

“This then developed into a dance routine depicting what the youth is doing with their freedom,” Machetela says. With each beat of their boots and rhythmic clap of their hands, the group illustrates the ways in which the youth has constructed – and come to understand – their daily realities. “The routine includes the expression of alcohol and drug abuse, and ends of with the importance of education.”

Through the creative expressions of Diamonds in the Rough, Machetela is able not only to explore the reality of the youth in Jagersfontein, but also to investigate intergenerational trauma. “I am looking at whether there is a relationship between these young people’s current circumstances and the experiences of their parents’ generation during the apartheid years. That is, what sort of meanings do they construct as young, black South Africans growing up in the new South Africa?”

What started off as a research project is now rippling beyond academic spheres, though. The Free State Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation has taken note of this initiative. As a result, the group has already performed at the Bloem Show, International Museums Day, and Heritage Day celebrations, as well as at the Mangaung African Cultural Festival (MACUFE).  

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