A hardworking Bachelor of Business Administration graduate from Tsiba Business School has been recognised with an award for academic excellence.
Siphumelele Koyana from Gugulethu was presented with the Professor Fatima Abrahams Award which recognises an academically strong female graduate, who in addition to her exceptional academic performance has embodied the values and characteristics displayed by the professor.
These include empathy, resilience, courage, and determination to serve her community.
This award includes R10 000.
The 21-year-old said when she received the nomination via email at first she thought it was a mistake but nevertheless submitted everything that was required.
She was truly happy and honoured, she said, to have been acknowledged for her dedication and hard work.
She said her secret to her success was putting in the effort to the extent that going through the work felt like listening to her favourite song.
“I’m over the moon with joy and gratefulness for this award. To be selected (from) amongst many students it means a lot for me and it shows that hard work and determination pay off. I did not know that there are such awards but I was fulfilling my work in the best possible way.
’’But the fact that people could see my work ethic is awesome. My last secret is that I know every time I look at my marks, I literally imagine the joy I feel every time my mother says ‘I am so proud of you’.
“’I do feel that I also deserve the award as I had worked extremely hard for the last three years to ensure that I did the best that I could,” she said.
She said she wanted to study further and become an investment analyst or data analyst in the future.
Siphumelele’s mother, Dolly Koyana, said she was over the moon with joy that her daughter had been given the award.
Ms Koyana said she praised God, and asked him to guide and protect her so that she could achieve all her dreams and aspirations. She urged other young girls to listen to their parents’ teachings because they want the best for them.