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09 December 2022 | Story Samkelo Fetile | Photo Supplied
Boitumelo Sehlotho
Boitumelo Sehlotho who represented Lesotho in the Miss Supranational pageant in Poland in July 2022

Boitumelo Sehlotho, a fourth-year Bachelor of Accounting student at the University of the Free State (UFS), is part of a long line of UFS students who have represented their country on the global stage. Sehlotho, who was also named the Face of Lesotho in 2019, represented her country in the 2022 edition of the global Miss Supranational pageant in July. 

Sehlotho, who is an aspiring model, dancer, netball player, and an advocate for mental health and self-acceptance, participated in the Miss Supranational pageant held in Poland. 

Her journey

Sehlotho started her pageantry journey in 2019, when she won the Face of Lesotho title and reigned for two years (2019 and 2020) because of the pandemic. Miss Supranational was her first international pageant. “Lesotho was making its debut, so I was the first person to represent the country on the pageant.”

Being part of an international pageant as the first person to represent a country that most participants had not heard of required hard work and persistence. “I learned a lot of skills and values from that experience. Having to represent Lesotho gave me so much joy, pride, and confidence. I was inspired to be an inspiration to a lot of young people who are dreamers. We can achieve anything we set our minds to.”

Pageantry as an eye-opener

She decided to compete because she felt like pageants can be educational. “They teach the exact same skills as sports: goal-setting, a can-do attitude, working under pressure, and I have always loved pageantry. Being surrounded by a group of power woman who have the urge to make a difference drives you to work on being a better person as well. Therefore I believed being part of an international pageant would create such a platform for me. It will open my eyes and mind to a different perspective of life. And it did.” 

She believes every experience in life, whether bad or good, helps you grow. “I was also inspired to participate because I knew I would not return home as the same person who had left, whether I had won or not. That’s the beauty of pageantry: strangers become friends, you get educated about new cultures, you travel the world, you discover new things about yourself, you get to see that there is so much more to life than what you know, and that experience is priceless.” 

Although her priority is to finish her Accounting articles and be a professional chartered accountant, she also wants to further pursue pageantry. “I would like to one day have my own accounting firm in at least three different countries, but I also believe Miss Supranational was just the beginning of my pageantry career. Therefore I am working on improving myself and my craft for bigger international pageants like Miss Grand International or Miss Universe.”

She urges other students interested in pageantry to follow their dreams. “You have the power within your reach to create what you desire. As a young person you need to dream. If it does not sound ridiculous to your friends then you are not dreaming enough. Pageantry will help you discover that there is so much to life, so much that the world has to offer that you are yet to discover. You will learn, you will grow, you will make memories, you will live and feel alive. If it is your passion, go for it.”

If she could gain any one ability or quality, she would want to be a polyglot. “I love travelling, and it would be amazing to be able to speak and understand all the languages of the countries I would love to visit. Comprehension is key to better relationships with people. Also, I hope to travel the world, at least 30 countries minimum, before I turn 30.” 

It is okay to take your time

She concluded by saying, “We live in a generation that romanticises ‘hustle’ and moving forward as quickly as possible when it comes to careers and our success within them. But there is no point in rushing quickly towards a life that will not inspire you or fulfil you. It is okay to slow down, it is okay to take the time you need. You are in no rush to figure out your own soul. It is never too late to start over, it is never too late to change your mind, it is never too late to give up on the dreams you thought you wanted for ones that genuinely excite and challenge you. It is okay to take your time.”

Following in her footsteps, Lerato Pitso, a Bachelor of Social Sciences student at the UFS, will represent Lesotho in the next Miss Supranational competition, to be held in Poland in 2023. Thato Mosehle, a graduate from the Faculty of Health Sciences, was runner-up in the 2021 Miss Supranational pageant. Rolene Strauss, also a UFS student, won the coveted Miss World title in 2014. 

News Archive

First postgraduate degree in Forensic Genetics in Africa
2010-03-19

 
At the launch were, from the left, front: Ms Christa Swanepoel (Applied Biosystems), Ms Karen Ehlers (Department of Genetics, UFS), Dr Carolyn Hancock and Ms Vanessa Lynch (both from DNA Project). Middle row: Dr. Sphie Mukwana (Director: Biotech Forensics, Kenya), Mr Pierre Joubert (Director: SAPS Forensic Science Laboratory) and Prof. Johan Spies (Chairperson: Department of Genetics, UFS). Back row: Mr Izak van Niekerk (Southern Cross Biotechnologies) and Mr Loen Ehlers (National Prosecution Authority).
Photo: Stephen Collett


The Department of Genetics at the University of the Free State (UFS) recently launched the first postgraduate degree offered by a tertiary institution in Forensic Genetics in Africa.

“We are at the beginning of something special. The UFS has developed the programme with the aim of providing graduates with the skills and knowledge they would require to work in the field of forensic biology. These graduates will be the first group of professionals that have undergone tertiary training in order to assist in the resolution of crime through forensic science in South Africa. It has also put the UFS in the forefront of training of this nature,” said Prof. Johan Spies, the departmental chairperson.

According to Mr Pierre Joubert, Director at the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Pretoria, students trained in this programme would easily be employed by the FSL since they would have the appropriate applied and technical training in forensic science.

Currently the FSL has no personnel with degrees in forensic science in its employ. It employs B.Sc. graduates in the fields of microbiology, genetics, molecular biology and biochemistry as forensic analysts. These employees then go through an extensive supplementary training programme for about six months.

Dr Sophie Mukwana, Director of Biotech Forensics in Kenya, said the launch of this programme in South Africa would benefit African countries like Kenya which relied on the USA for this kind of training. She said they hoped to partner with the UFS in this venture.

Applied Biosystems and Southern Cross Biotechnology have donated the necessary equipment to the UFS for this training.

“It is not only important that students should see the equipment but they should also know how to operate it,” said Ms Vanessa Lynch, from the DNA Project.

The DNA Project, in conjunction with the FSL and the UFS, has developed the learning materials which will be presented at the UFS from 2011.

Media Release
Issued by: Mangaliso Radebe
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2828
Cell: 078 460 3320
E-mail: radebemt@ufs.ac.za  

19 March 2010
 

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