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24 April 2023 | Story Gerda-Marié van Rooyen | Photo Charl Devenish
Jenna Clarkson
Jenna Clarkson is a devout communications student and a karateka. She had to deal with several health challenges during her studies, but nevertheless dreams of obtaining her PhD in Communication at the UFS.

Overcoming numerous health obstacles during her studies, Jenna Clarkson is in high spirits after obtaining her degree from the University of the Free State (UFS). While most students enjoyed an active social and campus life, she often had to visit the hospital while studying. Receiving her BA Integrated Organisational Communication qualification during the April 2023 graduation ceremony has been a healing balm after many years of pain. 
 
The Faculty of the Humanities graduate was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2021. In 2022, after several physiotherapists and emergency room visits, she was also diagnosed with juvenile disc disorder and sacroiliitis. The latter condition affects one or both sacroiliac joints where the lower spine and pelvis meet and may cause pain in one or both legs. 

Initially, Jenna assumed she had hurt herself during karate practice, but the pain would not subside. “I would randomly lose feeling in my legs and couldn’t sit. I spent a year in pain and struggled to walk, lift heavy objects, cough, and sleep on my side. I struggled with the fact that this was going to be an issue for the rest of my life.” 

However, with a lot of love from her friends, support from her lecturers, and grace with herself, Jenna learned how to handle the pain and to realise when she has met her limits. This student from Johannesburg says that although pain is frustrating and overwhelming, having emotional support helps. “Sometimes just having someone to listen and be there is the best thing.”

The journey to the graduation stage might have been difficult for this high-flyer, but it was a worthwhile undertaking. 

“I feel over the moon, and a little overwhelmed that it happened,” says Jenna about getting her degree in communications. Loving her field of study, she attended class eagerly and enjoyed her modules. “I love that I am allowed to create, I get to make something. There’s nothing more amazing than getting a brief and being able to look at it and create something from it that nobody else would have created. The bonus is that I am quite good at it too,” adds the student who is currently doing her honours degree at the UFS. 

Getting her first degree from the UFS, Jenna is determined to excel in her chosen field. 

“I would like to get my honours degree cum laude and do a PhD degree, but I am taking it one degree at a time. If it doesn’t work out that way, it’s okay. I am very good at figuring things out and making a plan.”

Jenna is determined to make her parents proud. “Having lost my dad at four, I do everything with the hope that he would be proud of my choices. My mom sacrificed a lot to give me the best life she could.”

News Archive

#Women'sMonth: Long hours in wind and cold weather help to reconstruct Marion Island’s glacial history
2017-08-10

 Description: Liezel Rudolph  Tags: Liezel Rudolph, Process Geomorphology, Marion Island, periglacial geomorphology, Department of Geography  

Liezel Rudolph, lecturer for second-year students in Process
Geomorphology at the University of the Free State (UFS).
Photo: RA Dwight

Liezel Rudolph, a lecturer for second-year students in Process Geomorphology, aims to reconstruct the glacial history of Marion Island through cosmogenic nuclide dating techniques. She is interested in periglacial geomorphology, a study of how the earth’s surface could be formed by ice actions (freezing and thawing of ice).

Liezel is a lecturer in the Department of Geography at the university and is researching landscape development specifically in cold environments such as Antarctica, the Sub-Antarctic islands, and high mountain areas. “My involvement with periglacial geomorphology is largely due to academic giants who have carved a pathway for South Africans,” says Liezel.

Liezel visited Marion Island for the first time during her honours year in 2011, when she investigated the impact of seals on soil conditions and vegetation. Three years later, she visited Antarctica to study rock glaciers.

The challenge of the job
A workday in Antarctica is challenging. “Our time in the field is very limited, so you have to work every possible hour when the weather is not life-threatening: from collecting soil samples, to measuring soil temperature and downloading data, we measure polygons and test the hardness of rocks. The only way to get the amount of work done, is to work long hours in wind and rain with a positive and competent team! We take turns with chores: the person carrying the notebook is usually the coldest, while the rest of us are stretching acrobatically over rocks to get every nook and cranny measured and documented.”

A typical workday
Liezel describes a typical workday: “Your day starts with a stiff breakfast (bacon and eggs and a bowl of oats) and great coffee! After that comes the twenty-minute dressing session: first a tight-fitting under-layer, a middle layer – sweater and T-shirt, and then the outer windbreaker (or a quilt jacket on an extra cold day). Then you start applying sunscreen to every bit of open face area. Beanie on, sunglasses, two pairs of socks, two pairs of gloves. The few kilograms of equipment, one vacuum flask containing an energy drink, one vacuum flask containing drinking water (it would freeze in a regular bottle), and a chocolate bar and piece of biltong for lunch. After this, we drive (on snowmobiles) or fly (in helicopter) to our study area for about eight hours of digging, measuring, downloading, testing and chopping. Back at the base and after a long and tiresome undressing session, we move to the lab with all our data to make sure that it is downloaded safely and captured onto a database. Afterwards, depending on the day of the week, we enjoy a good meal. If you are lucky, such a typical day will coincide with your shower day. We can only shower every second day due to the energy-intensive water production (we have to melt snow) and the sewage system (all the water has to be purified before it could be returned to the environment). Then you grab your eye shield (since the sun is not sinking during summer) and take a nap before the sun continues to shine into the next day.”

Theoretical knowledge broadened 
“Going into the field (whether island or mountains) provides me with an opportunity to test geomorphic theories. Without experience in the field, my knowledge will only be limited to book knowledge. With practical experience, I hope to broaden my knowledge so that I could train my students from experience rather than from a textbook,” says Liezel.

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