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28 June 2023 | Story Kate Poen | Photo Supplied
Kate Poen
Kate Poen is an Academic Adviser in the Centre for Teaching and Learning.

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

Golden Key Chapter of the UFS walks away with gold status
2011-10-13

 

This generation has to find a mission, something they can be as passionate about as their predecessors of the 1970s were. A greater nation has just risen. At the 2011 South African Golden Key Summit, were from left: Mr Ruddy Banyini, outgoing President: UFS Chapter; Mr Puso Thahane, President: Wits Chapter, and Mr Katleho Mohono, Vice-President (Internal): Wits Chapter.
Photo: Leonie Bolleurs

Our university earned gold status as one of the top chapters in the country. This was one of four awards won by the UFS at the 2011 South African Golden Key Summit held at the Bloemfontein Campus from 6-8 October 2011.

Mr Ruddy Banyini, outgoing  Golden Key president (UFS) and the president of the Wits Chapter jointly received the Regional Student Leader of the Year award. The UFS Chapter also took third place for Best Community Service as well as for Best Campus Awareness Initiative. This follows hot on the heels of the chapter winning the Golden Key International Chapter Service Award for the second consecutive year in May 2011.
 
The summit also yielded some new challenges for all chapters. Mr Banyini and his counterparts from the University of Witwatersrand are on a mission to cultivate a nation of thinkers. This follows the successful hosting of a Thinkers Symposium by the Wits Chapter to determine the contribution thinkers could make towards shaping a better society. “This initiative will see all students on campus mobilised and actively participating,” Mr Banyini said. “Thoughts without action are just thoughts. We are all aware of social ills in our country, yet only a few come forth with a solution,” stated Mr Katleho Mohono (Wits).
 
The involvement of Golden Key members in helping to create solutions for national problems has triggered a series of think-tank symposiums organised by various chapters. The result has been an exponential growth in the numbers of those collectively involved in the on-line National Planning Commission’s consultative forum. “The impact of mobilising the best current academic achievers in Higher Education opens up exciting new possibilities through constructive student engagement with society’s issues,” Dr Derek Swemmer, Registrar at the UFS,” said.

 

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