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07 March 2024
Photo Lunga Luthuli
Prof Francois Strydom, Senior Director at the Centre for Teaching and Learning and Simphiwe Kunene, the first African DREAM scholar and a master’s student from the Faculty of Education.
The University of the Free State (UFS) received recognition for its commitment to student success at the 2024 Achieving the Dream (ATD) conference which celebrated its 20-year anniversary. Simphiwe Kunene, an Education master's student originally from the Qwaqwa campus, was selected to represent South Africa as the first DREAM scholar from Africa as part of the conference.
The Achieving the Dream network of over 300 institutions, which is one of the largest movements in US higher education aims to transform colleges and universities so that students of colour and a lower socio-economic status are supported to earn a degree. The UFS is a leading partner in the Siyaphumelela Network, which has been working for 10 years with ATD to enhance the success of students in South Africa. Prof Francois Strydom, Senior Director at the Centre of Teaching and Learning (CTL), accepted the award on behalf of the institution.
Prof Strydom said that collaboration with the ATD and Siyaphumelela institutions has helped the UFS to develop cutting-edge approaches to “level the playing field” and support Kovsies to earn their undergraduate degrees.
The first African DREAM scholar
Kunene was selected as the first African DREAM scholar from the Siyaphumelela network. To select the DREAM scholar, each Siyaphumelela partner institution nominated one student as a preferred candidate. From the proposed candidates, the DREAM scholar was selected by the South African Institute for Distance Education (Saide) based on the following: demonstrating resilience, academic excellence, and a deep commitment to making a positive difference in universities and personal communities.
He addressed the conference of over 2 000 delegates and shared with them his hopes and dreams. Many members of the South African delegation said Simphiwe did his country proud. He had the following to say about his opportunity to be a DREAM scholar: “Being a DREAM scholar was life changing for me, exposing me to an array of opportunities I never knew were possible and available for me. It was as if, for a moment, the world had stopped to just listen to what I had to say."
The way forward
The UFS will continue its work as a partner of the Siyaphumelela network for the 2024-2026 cycle. The multi-stakeholder project team is focused on enhancing undergraduate students’ time, and to position the UFS as a thought and research leader in the area of student success as part of Vision 130.
Mercedes Benz invests in Tamie Mbombo’s company
2016-03-24
Tamie Mbombo means business: The Founder and CEO of Sollo Inc, the integrated marketing company endorsed recently by Mercedes Benz South Africa.
Photo: Hannes Pieterse
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A new Mercedes Benz 116 CDI Vito Tourer Pro, a financial injection of R85 000, and 12 months of media coverage by Mercedes Benz is what many Small to Medium Enterprises dream of. For Sollo Inc, that dream became a reality recently after the company won the Boost Your Business 2015 national competition.
In 2012, when Tamie Mbombo was an Investment and Management Banking student at the University of the Free State (UFS), he founded an integrated marketing company, and named it Sollo Inc. The company was launched at the IdeaStart Accelerator, a business incubator for UFS student entrepreneurs.
Four years later, on Friday 18 March 2016, Sollo Inc reached new heights when one of the world’s leading automobile manufacturers presented the Founder and CEO of Solo Inc with a Vito sponsorship at the Bloemfontein Campus.
In addition to serving corporates and the public sector, as part of its social enterprise aspect, Sollo Inc offers certain services free of charge to small businesses. “We capacitate start-ups with organisational skills and financial management as well as marketing education,” explained Mbombo.
Sollo Inc was selected as a winner based on the authentic story behind how Mbombo conducts business. “Mercedes Benz has invested quite a huge sum of money in print and digital media placements as platforms to give exposure to the story behind Sollo Inc,” said Adeesha Ramprith, Client Service Manager at Aqua Online, Mercedes Benz’s digital marketing agency.
The IdeaStart Accelerator office has commended Mbombo as an example of how young entrepreneurs should keep their ears to the ground, and grab opportunities that might propel their businesses forward. “This is a great milestone for his business, mainly because of the challenges he has faced when it comes to mobility,” said Ayanda Makhanya, Student Entrepreneurship officer at IdeaStart Accelerator.