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‘Follow your dreams’ – Boitumelo Sehlotho on participating in global Miss Supranational pageant

09 December 2022 | Story Samkelo Fetile | Photo Supplied

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

UFS launches history book

2007-02-02


Attending the launch of the UFS history book were, from the left: Prof Stef Coetzee, Prof Francois Retief, Prof Wynand Mouton, Mr Pieter Cox (Chairperson on Sasol) and Prof Frederick Fourie (Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS). Profs Coetzee, Retief and Mouton are former rectors of the UFS.
UFS launches history book The University of the Free State (UFS) today launched its history book titled, From Grey to Gold, on the Main Campus in Bloemfontein. “The history of the UFS is one of faith, hope, struggle and determination. The book tells a fascinating story that stretches over a 100 years. It is divided into five main phases, which tells about the growth of the UFS from a poor Free State community to a mature university. Interesting stories about student days, sport, rag and hostel activities are included in each phase,” Prof Frederick Fourie, Rector and Vice-Chancellor said during the launch of the book. “One cannot know where you are going if you don’t know where you are coming from. You have a clearer idea of the issues facing an institution if you know the history. A book like this one is also an important source of reference for staff on the campus,” said Prof Fourie. The first research for the book was done from 1999-2003 by Prof Leo Barnard from the Department of History and a team of researchers. They also compiled the first manuscript. During the last three years, Prof Fourie was closely involved with the writing of the final phase and finishing off the history book project. “It was an honour to be so closely involved with the story of the UFS because now I have a better understanding of the institution, its people, its culture and its way of thinking. For any rector of a university, such an understanding of its institution is a requirement,” Prof Fourie said. The book is partly sponsored by Sasol. During the launch of the book, Mr Pieter Cox, Chairperson of Sasol said the company and the UFS have been partners for 57 years. “Both Sasol and the UFS are striving for excellence – Sasol for excellence in technology and the UFS for excellence in education,” said Mr Cox. “It was an easy decision when the UFS approached Sasol for financial support of the history book. Its a formidable piece of work, something Prof Fourie and the UFS can be proud of,” said Mr Cox. The book consists of more than 500 pages with hundreds of photos and a wide range of supplements of office-bearers, awards and achievements (including national and sporting colours). A timeline framework, putting the history of the UFS in context with the history of the Free State, South Africa and of the world, is also included. Besides the supplements, the history book also tells the story of amongst others the establishment of the UFS; the role of its founding fathers; black pioneers of transformation; the establishment and development of academic departments and faculties; student numbers; pioneers and trends in research; academic entrepreneurs; campus issues and campus politics; interesting facts and stories about student life (rag, intervarsity and cheerleaders, sport and the Springboks, hostel traditions); the admission of black students and anguish about race; language and culture; the development of the Main Campus; the Tickey and the Banana and much more. Emphasis is placed on a very high level of quality. “It is not every day that the university becomes hundred years old and the institution will be measured by the quality of the book. We cannot say the UFS is a university of excellence if the book does not reflect that,” Ms Edma Pelzer, Director: Physical Resources and Special Projects said. Ms Pelzer managed the project as part of the last mentioned part of her portfolio. The search for photographs was an important aspect of the book and it was a big task to find photographs and write captions. It took almost a year to translate and prepare the English edition and almost ten months to ensure the accuracy thereof, especially to correctly translate the typical Free State and UFS terminology and naturally to complete the English manuscript’s layout and proofreading. In the mean time the cover pages were designed and in September 2006 the manuscript went into the final print process. The Afrikaans title is: Van Sink tot Sandsteen tot Graniet. The cost of the book is R380 per copy. Those who already ordered the book will soon receive their copy. Orders can be placed by contacting Mr Dawid Kriel at UFS Marketing on 051 401 3409 or on the UFS web site at www.ufs.ac.za. The book is also available at Van Schaik Book Store on the Thakaneng Bridge, UFS Main Campus and at Fascination Books in Mimosa Mall, Bloemfontein. Media release Issued by: Lacea Loader Media Representative Tel: (051) 401-2584 Cell: 083 645 2454 E-mail: loaderl@mail.uovs.ac.za 2 February 2007

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