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To The River and beyond

19 December 2022 | Story Gerda-Marié van Rooyen | Photo Supplied

Olebogeng TIhong loves stages and cameras. She is currently studying law.

An ex-CyberSta presenter has recently made her soap debut in The River.

Olebogeng Tlhong, a fourth-year LLB student at the UFS, recently portrayed the part of a celebrity, something she says works perfectly with her personality. However, acting is only one of her many gifts and interests.

She also owns an enterprise. “I established my online store in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and registered my company in October 2021.” This company, a segment of Greys World, consists of an events company, bikini line, cosmetics and accessory stores and a clothing aspect.

Passionate about the entertainment space

This born Johannesburger describes herself as a “vibrant, hard-working, resilient and multifaceted woman who loves life and all that it has to offer”. Confidence is something she has in ample supply. “I have always been a confident individual. I have participated in public-speaking competitions from a young age. I am passionate about the entertainment space.” She loves people too. "I draw inspiration from different people for different reasons and aspects of my life. This includes from the women in my family to service workers’ stories, celebrity figures and the teachings of Christ.” 

Visualisation is something this entertainer strongly believes in. “The kind of life that I envision for myself, inspires me. I want to own my time and live on my terms. Having a vision board and holding myself accountable has played a large role in ensuring that I execute everything that I said I would. I believe in being proactive and solution based.”

Crossing boundaries and achieving dreams

Olebogeng dreams of leaving a legacy echoing her courage to cross boundaries and achieve her dreams. “I want people to draw inspiration from me and know that they can achieve anything – regardless of obstacles or one’s past. One can build an empire from nothing,” says this wanna-be world traveller.

While it is uncertain where Olebogeng’s river will take her, one thing is certain, she’ll always seize the day. “I want to remain teachable to grow. The aim is to never get comfortable and to keep striving for more.”

Olebogeng appeared on The River, episode 240, that aired beginning/mid-October.

This guest appearing actress has always been confident. “I used to participate in public speaking competitions from a young age and I love the entertainment space.”

“Enjoy university, meet new people and grab every opportunity that aligns with your purpose, have fun and most importantly, ensure that your academics are always in order,” Olebogeng advises the first-year students of 2023.

News Archive

#Women'sMonth: PSP provides scholarly support system for Prof Wilson-Strydom

2017-08-17

Prof Merridy Wilson-Strydom loves asking questions and
therefore has a strong focus on research.
She also enjoys supervising PhD students.
Photo: Sonia Small

Publishing her first book and receiving a rating from the National Research Foundation (NRF) are career highlights for Prof Merridy Wilson-Strydom. As an emerging scholar, the Prestige Scholars Programme (PSP) of the University of the Free State (UFS) played an important role in reaching these goals.

According to the Associate Professor in the Centre for Research on Higher Education and Development, the PSP provided an important scholarly support system, both through the coordinators and the other researchers who are part of the programme.

Writing retreats made book possible
“I found the support and advice provided during the process of applying for funding and rating really helpful,” she says about receiving a NRF C2 rating, based on her work over the past eight years.
She compliments the PSP writing retreats, which “provided a wonderful space for writing and it was during the writing retreats that I did a lot of the writing for my book that was published by Routledge in 2015.” Her book, University Access and Success: Capabilities, Diversity and Social Justice, moving back into academia from institutional research, working closely with undergraduate students as research participants, and postgraduate supervision, are all highlights of her work.

Her book makes a valuable contribution to higher education literature related to access and transition to universities. But, contrary to the mainstream approaches to access which rely on school performance and admissions tests, she poses the issue of social justice at the centre of the analysis.

Student project produces E-book
Another project headed by her and funded by the NRF Thuthuka Programme, was a study to understand the lives of 40 undergraduate students (on the UFS Bloemfontein Campus) who attended township high schools. The study had a particular focus on identifying institutional practices that either enable or constrain students’ capabilities for success in undergraduate study.

One of the outputs was the writing of an E-book called In our own words: Perspectives on being a student. It was written by 30 undergraduate students and the purpose was to provide a platform for students to tell their own stories about life as a student.

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