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20 June 2023 | Story Melissa Kilian | Photo Supplied
Melissa Kilian
Melissa Kilian is a Lecturer in the Department of Occupational Therapy.

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.

Melissa Kilian, Lecturer in the Department of Occupational Therapy, shares her UFS journey:

Q: Year of graduation from the UFS:

A: 2011 and 2021.

Q: Qualification obtained from the UFS:

A: Baccalaureus and Master of Occupational Therapy.

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

A: 1 June 2022 (employed for one year this month).

Q: Initial job title and current job title:

A: Lecturer in Occupational Therapy.

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

A: The UFS provided me with excellent clinical exposure to the diverse profession of occupational therapy. Additionally, the occupational therapy undergraduate course provided many opportunities for promoting self-awareness and self-development and entering the workforce as a graduate willing to explore the dimensions of the profession and what my unique contribution can be.

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

A: Since being employed with the UFS, I have a deeper acknowledgement and appreciation for lecturers, as well as a multi-layered understanding of the importance of curriculum development and how this translates into students becoming competent graduates.

Q: Any additional comments about your experience?

A: It’s been quite an experience ...!

News Archive

UFS academic appointed as Visiting Fellow at Cornell University
2007-11-12

Prof. Frans Swanepoel, Director of Research Development at the University of the Free State (UFS), was appointed as a Visiting Fellow at the Cornell International Institute for Food, Agriculture and Development (CIIFAD) at Cornell University in the United States of America. He has been invited to spend the second semester of 2008 at Cornell, where he will co-teach a Ph.D. course on International Agricultural Development, focusing on agriculture in Africa. In addition, his research programme will include the revision of agricultural education curricula for the development and commercialisation of smallholder family farms in Africa. In this regard, he will liaise with the newly established Centre for Africa Studies at the UFS. Prof. Swanepoel is also an Extraordinary Professor at the Centre for Sustainable Agriculture at the UFS, and Adjunct-Professor in Development Studies at the University of Fort Hare. Earlier this year, he was commissioned by the national Ministry of Agriculture to prepare a cabinet memorandum on the role of rural women in agriculture in preparation for the Fourth World Conference on Rural Women, held in Durban during April 2007.
Photo: Supplied
 

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