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#YouthMonth: Celebrating youth empowerment (Kate Poen)

28 June 2023 | Story Kate Poen | Photo Supplied

The University of the Free State (UFS) is celebrating Youth Month by showcasing the positive influence of the institution on career development. As part of this initiative, we are sharing the stories of UFS alumni who are now working at the university.

Kate Poen, Academic Adviser in the Centre for Teaching and Learning, shares her UFS journey:

Q: Year of graduation from the UFS:

A: April 2018 and 2023.

Q: Qualification obtained from the UFS:

A: BSocSci Honours in Psychology and PGDip in Higher Education.

Q: Date of joining the UFS as a staff member:

A: I joined the UFS as a staff member in 2017.

Q: Initial job title and current job title:

A: My initial job was as a Teaching Assistant for UFS101 (now UFSS) under Transition Development and Success (TDS) and I am currently an Academic Adviser under Advising, Access, and Success (AAS) in the Centre for Teaching and Learning.

Q: How did the UFS prepare you for the professional world?

A: The UFS has taught me responsibility and accountability as a professional. It instilled in me the competence of lifelong learning, to consistently develop myself personally and professionally, as well as the ability to always innovate my skills, and not only be an individual able to compete on a national level, but globally in the higher education space as well.

Q: What are your thoughts on transitioning from a UFS alumnus to a staff member?

A: Transitioning from a UFS alumnus to a staff member has been interesting. Being a UFS alumnus in my experience opens the door to opportunities for growth and development, even with the challenges it does bring. It is a personal choice as to whether one sees and uses the opportunities. What it does provide one with is definitely an informed perspective of the staff experiences, especially support staff.

Q: Any additional comments about your experience?

A: I am grateful for the opportunities I’ve been afforded at the institution to not only grow as an individual, but also to make a difference and a little impact in the work that I do daily. Grateful for the relationships I was also able to establish with colleagues in different spaces on all three of our campuses.

News Archive

Early diagnosis of hearing loss is important

2017-09-11

Dr Magteld Smith, lecturer in the
Department of Otorhinolaryngology
at the University of the Free State (UFS)
Photo: Supplied

One of the most common, misunderstood and neglected birth defects in developing countries is hearing loss, which can most severely impair and have a dramatic impact of the quality of life the of the person with hearing loss.

This is according to Dr Magteld Smith, lecturer in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at the University of the Free State (UFS).

“Hearing loss refers to all the different types and levels of hearing loss, from slight to profound hearing loss,” she said.

Derived from a number of retrospective studies in South Africa, it was found 17 people a day are born with hearing loss. More than 95% of those children are born to hearing parents. This estimate excludes children and adults who lost their hearing after birth.

According to Dr Smith, hearing loss strikes at the very essence of being human, because it hinders communication with others. To enable people to communicate with those with hearing loss, the university’s Department of South African Sign Language teaches students sign language. This year, the department enrolled 230 students. A number of these students are from the Faculty of Education. These students could from 2017 for the first time choose sign language as a subject.

“Studies have shown that important language skills are learned before the age of three because hearing and learning language are closely tied together. Brain development of the auditory pathways and language cortex is occurring in young children as they respond to auditory and visual language. In families that are part of deaf culture, these parents automatically sign from day one, so the baby is learning visual (sign) language, and the appropriate brain development is occurring.

Beskrywing: Doof readmore Sleutelwoorde: geboorte-afwykings, gehoorverlies, dr Magteld Smith, Departement Otorinolaringologie

About 230 students are enrolled for the subject, South African
Sign Language, at the UFS. As an assignment some of the students
were asked to design posters to create deaf awareness among
others on campus. From the left are: Poleliso Mpahane,
Masajin Koalepe, Ntshitsa Mosase, and Zoleka Ncamane.
Photo: Leonie Bolleurs

“However, if a child has an undiagnosed hearing loss and the parents are unaware, the child will not receive the needed language stimulation — and the hoped-for development won’t take place. It is critical to understand that children with hearing loss have their own talents, different levels of intelligence, socioeconomic circumstances and different abilities, just like hearing children. Therefore, one size does not fit all,” Dr Smith said.

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