Facing your future ... NMMU Careers Fair

NMMU's Graduate & Student Placement team

“If I get a job, I will start working, but if I get a bursary, I will continue studying.”

This was the most popular refrain coming from final-year undergraduate students at this week’s two-day Careers Fair at the Heinz Betz Hall on university’s North Campus.

Whatever comes up first – a job or financial support to study further – will be the route they follow.

More than 2000 students, most of whom are in their final year of studies, visited the annual event (there are separate fairs for Law, Accounting and IT) attended by 42 companies on the first day, and as many again are hoped to attend today’s final session.

So if my powers of deduction are right – it’s all a question of money.

Whatever brings in the mula – a job or a bursary - will take first prize.

NMMU is working hard to grow its postgraduate numbers, and knows that to help the graph continue along its upward trend, it needs to invest money in its honours, masters and doctoral programmes (so watch this space … we hope there’s good news coming!)

In the meantime, let’s step back inside the hall where NMMU students are checking out the future job market.

What do they have to say about going forward (apart from highlighting the crucial role that financial security plays in their lives)?

That:

·         This is a great initiative

·         My interactions with a couple of companies has been good

·         I am hoping to get onto a graduate placement programme

·         There are companies I didn’t even know existed

·         This is just to get a feel of what is on offer (from a op-‘n-wakker first-year)

And what do the company representatives have to say about NMMU students?

That:

·         The response has been good, particularly on the first day

·         The layout of the hall is better for interaction (than UJ)

·         The students have impressed us

·         The opportunity to learn from students is always good

·         There will always be arrogant freeloaders whose only mission is to pick up freebies

·         The organization of the event has been excellent

And what do we – from a marketing and public relations perspective – say of the event?

That:

·         There was a good vibe

·         The students were interacting positively

·         Some students made us very proud (so courteous; clever and interested)

·         Others made us cringe by how little they knew

·         And that some made us angry because of their arrogant and unacceptable behaviour

We also learnt that many of the representatives at the Fair were former NMMU students, thrilled to be back on campus and proud of what their university is achieving.

“It’s been awesome. The interest has been good and we have been treated so well,” says Sibusiso Thungo, of the South African Revenue Service.

“We’ll be back. Your NMMU students – especially those with commerce degrees – who are already with us, are doing so well with us. They’re an asset.”

Now isn’t that good to hear?

Please look out for future programme-specific fairs for Accounting, Law and IT students at NMMU.

See our Facebook page NNMU4U for more photographs from today's fair.

Project Sangena ... it's about relationships

SRC's Rowan Sampson chats to matrics in Mount Ayliff during Project Sangena 

Are there any questions? Does anyone want to know more? Dozens upon dozens of hands shoot into the cold Transkei morning air. The response from the hundreds of learners is overwhelming.

Not so in another school hall far away. The same information is shared but the feedback is subdued – just a brave hand here and there.

The difference?

Age and approach.

A visit to rural Eastern Cape by a dedicated team of Student Representative Council members to share the benefits of studying at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University with prospective students highlights the importance of the messenger and how the message is packaged.

Project Sangena is a perfect case in point.

This marketing initiative empowers young, vibrant committed students from NMMU to share a story of hope with learners from mainly disadvantaged backgrounds.

SRC president Luzuko Ntshongwana shares with learners from Gugwini Junior Secondary School 

The NMMU team – eight SRC members – each speaks isiXhosa, appreciates the challenges of the youngsters and is personally committed to their university.

In short, they understand and relate to their audience. It is something the middle-age woman in the school hall had not been able to do.

During the winter recess, these young university ambassadors visited five districts in former Transkei making contact with hundreds upon hundreds of learners, mainly at exhibitions, during presentations to them about NMMU. (They visited the districts of Comfimvaba, Qumbu and Tsolo, Mount Frere and Mount Ayliff, Lusikisili and Libode and Port St Johns).

“The response was overwhelming. We ran out of application forms and interest cards,” enthuses SRC Sport Officer Siphile Hlwatika.

The smartly-attired team, led by SRC President Luzuko Ntshongwana, was humbled too.

Many of the learners had only basic facilities and yet, amidst the poverty and apathy, gems emerged.

“There was one learner with 90s for maths and science who had no idea how she was going to study further. I am hoping our visit changed that and she will join us,” says Hlwatika.

Project Sangena is sponsored by NMMU Vice-Chancellor Prof Derrick Swartz who appreciates the importance of sharing the university’s message of hope, particularly with those who are marginalized geographically, technologically and by the poverty of their circumstances.

Similarly, NMMU’s small student recruitment team appreciates that it cannot market NMMU alone. Instead, it embraces the willingness of the SRC team to reach new learners and happily trains and empowers them with knowledge of the 450 programmes and other opportunities offered by NMMU.

It’s a joint effort.

Yes, it’s all about relationships.

Well done to Mr Ntshongwana and his team for taking responsibility and flying the Madibaz flag throughout Transkei.

NMMU's SRC with learners from the Lusikisiki District 

SRC Sport Office Siphile Hlwatika interacts with learners during Project Sangena

NMMU's SRC (from left) Gcobisa Magalela, Siviwe Mpinga, Siyamdumisa, Luzuko Ntshongwana and Siphile Hlwatika with Ms N P Koto of the Department of Education

Academic Week - but it's not for boffins

Academic Week is underway at NMMU

When we hear the word academic, many of us go cold or switch off completely as we simply do not identify with what we perceive to be endless reams of knowledge.

We tend to want to leave the word - and the work that goes with it - to the rocket scientists who wear red gowns during graduation.

But since we work and study at a university that word, regardless of where you practice your trade or sit during lectures, is not going to go away. It’s what we do – we teach, learn and research. We are the academy and our job is to produce, share and instill knowledge.

And so enter the university’s Academic Week.

You will be relieved to learn that it’s not aimed at the fellows in their red or even black graduation gowns, but rather at those who are hoping to acquire one of the gowns …

Yes, it’s aimed at our students.

It’s aimed at showing students that getting a degree and even becoming an academic is none too difficult if you go about it properly. (I am surmising, possibly rather naively, that if you have been accepted into a university then you have the academic potential to obtain your diploma or degree – but let’s not get into the discussion on preparedness for university).

You simply need some guidelines on how to get there – and that’s what Academic Week is doing.

It is providing our students with the tools and knowledge to help them start working timeously on their studies and to do so honestly.

Quizzes, time management seminars, online interactions, talks about taking co-responsibility for your learning, exposure to the university’s e-learning and Moodle are all part of the week-long campaign. Students are also being encouraged to recognise those who made a difference in their learning journey. This has been put together by the team at Student Academic Development.

The week is not for the boffins. It’s not for the boffins because the so-called boffins learnt the importance of being organized, managing their time, knowing how to access relevant information quickly and working hard on their studies long before they reached university.

They know, like American statesman and four-star army General Colin Powell, that “there are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure”.

So let’s embrace the word academic and accept that there’s no instant gratification when it comes to studying. You have to put in the hard yards – ask any boffin.

The full programme is included below, but for further assistance contact sarie.snyders@nmmu.ac.za

Integrity - are you living the value?

It’s only a lie if you’re found out.

That’s as I was told many, many years ago by a woman who despaired at the lack of values within the community she served.

“They continue to do wrong until they are found out. There’s no conscience about it being morally bad. For many, it’s only a lie if they are caught.”

Having been raised in a house where right from wrong was inculcated from an early age, this was difficult to get my head around … didn’t everyone know that it was wrong to tell lies, that you were never to take anything that didn’t belong to you and that you never hit other people (though brothers and sisters were fair play).

And you never, never ever tried to copy another person’s work because that was also the same as stealing.

But with age and wisdom (yes, there are some advantages to getting older), I now know that not everyone is blessed with parents or caring others who instill sound values in their offspring. What was commonplace for me is not necessarily the norm elsewhere.

Thankfully, these values – the positive guidelines that underpin all that we do in our everyday lives – can still be learnt and instilled within us.

We’ve seen them in action at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, where we have six values (ubuntu, respect for the natural environment, respect for diversity, excellence, taking responsibility and integrity).

It’s the latter that particularly jumps to mind because our George Campus is “walking the talk” – they are practicing the value of integrity.

Not one of their 1000-odd students writing an even larger number of examinations was caught cheating thanks, in part, to a dedicated academic integrity campaign.

(I am assuming, however, that the good news does not stretch to our main Port Elizabeth campuses because we haven’t been forwarded such information).

The George students all behaved honourably, doing the right thing by resisting any opportunity to cheat.

So well done George students for flying the flag of integrity – and doing the right thing, even when no-one was watching.

Because yes, it’s a lie even when you’re not found out.

Apply to NMMU - now!

You can apply to join Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in 2015 via the following ways:

If you have access to the internet:
You can apply online
You can download an application form
You can send an e-mail to admissions@nmmu.ac.za

If you do not have access to the internet or e-mail, you can phone NMMU’s Contact Centre on 041 504 1111 and ask them to post you the information you need.

But please do it soonest because the university’s initial closing date for applications for next year is 1 August (just nine days away).

So there you have it … the basic facts, the hard-sell up front and not hidden half way down or at the bottom of this blog.

In Journalism 101 you quickly learn to share the most important information at the top of your story because readers have neither the time nor inclination to go looking for the real story. It’s got to be right there in the headline and opening paragraph to lure them in.

Okay, so it’s a little different with a blog which introduces ideas or concepts or news in a different format with the final line intended to have as much clout as the opening paragraph.

Right now, however, the university is at pains to get prospective students to NMMU for next year, to get their applications in by 1 August. (We’ve seen far too many students disappointed because they missed the application deadline).

Apart from having to pay an inflated application fee after this date, it also means your chances of getting into a particular programme are reduced. Numbers for some programmes are capped so it’s important to be an early bird and give yourself the best possible opportunity for studying at the university next year.

At the risk of repeating myself, NMMU received more than 24 000 applications in 2013. Fewer than 6 000 of these applications were accepted to study this year.

So this is another call to action – to gather all the relevant information – and get your application in. Please ensure that your application is complete because a missing document will just move you to the back of the queue again.

You will need the following:

· A certified copy of your ID

· A certified copy of your final Grade 11 report

· Your most recent Grade 12 report (no March results) or if you have already passed the matriculation examination, a certified copy of your matriculation certificate or results as well as certified copies of diploma/degree certificates and academic records for postgraduate applications.

It costs R260 to apply before 1 August. Thereafter, there is only a short window period to apply for undergraduate studies in 2015 and it will cost you R360.

We’re placing reminders in newspapers, on social media, on billboards, calling schools and basically spreading the message. We’d appreciate it if you shared the message too because we’d hate students with the potential to succeed academically to lose out on the opportunity to study at tertiary level.

Please forgive today’s unconventional blog – but sometimes you simply have to say it like it is. So I am saying it like it is - get off your umtarara (the catch-phrase of NMMU’s Beyond the Classroom students) and take responsibility for your future.



Apply now!

From world stage to Madibaz Stadium

Madibaz player Alexander Owusu prepares to pass the ball during Monday's clash with NWU at the Madibaz Stadium where the home team held the visitors to a 2-2 draw. Photo: Michael Sheehan/Saspa

I’ve been spoilt. A full month of world-class football in my lounge each evening, compliments of the Fifa Football World Cup, means my soccer benchmark barometer has been raised. Yours too?

When a long distance shot comes into the box area I now automatically anticipate a shot on target or at the very least a clean clearance. I don’t expect players to miss the ball completely or fail to control a ball or misjudge a tackle or erroneously forget about use the off-side rule or, or, or …

That’s as it went in parts during the first Varsity Sport Football match at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) yesterday afternoon when our Madibaz took on North West University before a vuvuzela-blowing crowd.

Yes, I have been spoilt.

In fact, I have been so spoilt that I almost failed to recognise that the Football World Cup is the benchmark to which these young university players must aspire.

Everyone has to start somewhere and having finger-pointing mother grundies like me on the sidelines is no help at all. These players, like any other sportsmen and women who are still working towards being at the top of their game, need encouragement.

The Varsity Sport concept provides a perfect platform for such encouragement.

Varsity Sport, like its successful sister brand Varsity Cup (for rugby), gives university students an opportunity to show off their talent on national television and before national sport selectors. It gives them all sorts of reason to literally “improve their game”.

Varsity Cup has already spawned a large number of Super Rugby players for South Africa, and I am pretty sure that other talented sportsmen and women will surface from its athletics, women’s hockey, men’s hockey, netball and volleyball competitions.

So this mother grundy, without lowering her soccer benchmark barometer, will be back at the next game home (against UCT on 4 August at 7pm) to shout for (and not at) the Madibaz.



And so as a show of my good intent, my congratulations go to Madibaz for their opening game. The final score was two all, with NMMU’s Kieran Koert scoring two quick goals to be named the match’s Samsung Super Striker and Madibaz captain Kurt Duff as the FNB Man of the Match.

A new day, a new term, a new semester

Every day, in fact, every minute, we get the opportunity to start afresh … to start again, but there’s nothing like a brand new semester to really kick-start something new.

As Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University’s 27000-plus students return today for term 3, semester 2 of the 2014 academic year, there’s a squeaky clean, let’s-get-off-to-a-good-start feel about the place …

I know this because:

• Once-dirty student cars are noticeably cleaner
• The students are particularly spirited (no doubt catching up with each other after recess)
• Once-dirty staff cars are noticeably cleaner
• There are more staff walking about campus (a new resolution to get fit, lose weight perhaps?)
• The staffroom fridge has been cleaned out
• There’s been an increase in upbeat e-mails asking for meetings, suggesting new ideas and get-togethers
• The number of inquiries I received about studying the Bachelor in Emergency Medical Care degree
• Of a large increase in the number of NMMU4U Facebook fans
• Of increased interaction by NMMU4U’s Twitter followers

There’s a happy buzz among my colleagues

This upbeat mood is usually a by-product of having had a good break. For many at NMMU, this meant as many as 30 days away from the regime of lectures and work of term, and time enough to recharge the batteries. For others it was a little as a long weekend, but even an extra day in a different environment can do wonders.

This time-out enables us to step back and reflect. Often that reflection, or even deep soul-searching, leads us to reassess our present lives and try to adjust them for the better.

According to a Chinese proverb, the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.

Though we’re not trees, the same applies to us for there is no time like the present to start afresh with something as simple as remembering to say thank-you through to that of embarking on a journey to a new healthy lifestyle.

But whatever your new beginning might be, may you succeed …

PS I’m starting by being a better NMMU supporter by going to watch the Madibaz football team as they take on North West University at 4.45pm in the Madibaz Stadium in the first round of the Varsity Sport Football contest. It‘s being televised. Will I see you there?

Window dressing - but it's a start!

Isn’t it amazing how the naysayers always manage to pop out of the proverbial woodwork when good things are happening … as with today’s 67 minutes of goodwill in honour of the late Nelson Mandela?

As a nation we are asked to give 67 minutes’ of our time and talents towards making the world a better place. Our namesake and one of the world’s greatest statesmen gave 67 years of public service to South Africa and the world, so surely 67 minutes of our time once a year is not too much to give to bettering conditions for others and our environment?

And, of course, it isn’t. Any time that we sacrifice to try to make life better for another person is a huge plus, so why do folk still complain.

Why do folks moan about this annual goodwill offering by ordinary people in usually very ordinary circumstances? Why do they consistently pull out the “window dressing” trump card, claiming that this 67 minutes of giving is little more than an opportunity to show off to those who are interested enough to care, that we apparently care.

If you cared, they whine, you’d be doing it all the time. You’d be up and at them serving the least, lost and lonely in a full time capacity. You’d have signed up with the local green society or voluntarily offered your services to the less fortunate in some form or other.

These 67 minutes in the name of Nelson Mandela, they drone on, is nothing more than window dressing; it allows you to boast to friends about your good deeds and eases your selfish conscience. That’s all it does – so quit the window dressing they cry because you don’t really care.

Ouch. Gulp!

Hold on. Hokaai. Not so fast.

You see this so-called window dressing, this endeavour to help in the name of Madiba and this one day of disjointed dallying to put a band-aid on South Africa’s many ills is A START!

And we have to start somewhere. Our efforts to do what we can where we can, may be misguided, misdirected and even totally off target, but at least something is happening. It’s a start.

I am confident that the more we roll up our sleeves and get others to do likewise, the more likely we are to make volunteerism a way of life in South Africa. In short, if we “window dress” long enough, we’ll eventually get to the real issues.

So please stop pointing those cynical fingers at those who may have headed out to a township to provide soup for the first time in their lives. That experience may be the trigger to something better in terms of making a substantial difference to the less fortunate, but even if it doesn’t the input by one individual made a positive impact on someone else’s life today.

Put those judgmental tongues away and use them to foster, encourage and grow a spirit of volunteerism in this country. There’s huge goodwill in our country – and especially at NMMU as many of us have witnessed today – to make South Africa a better place for all her people.

Happy Nelson Mandela Day!

Nelson Mandela Day ... tapping into our goodwill

#NelsonMandela … #Madiba … #MandelaDay …

These words will trend tomorrow, if not by this evening, as we commemorate the legacy of the university’s namesake on Nelson Mandela Day.

The 18 July birth date of Nelson Mandela gives us the ideal opportunity to tap into our goodwill as we are asked to give 67 minutes’ of our time and talents to benefit a worthy cause.

At Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) the outpouring of goodwill is already evident – not in just one event but rather a collection of them, allowing individuals or departments to contribute as they believe best.

Some are involved in clean-ups, some in soup kitchens, some in donating food, shoes, clothing and books, some in giving lessons, some in providing care, some in cooking, some in giving lifts, some in reading to children, some in visiting the elderly, some in planting gardens, some in building …

But they’re mostly all getting involved (we hope).

We’re hoping to hear of other initiatives in which staff and students (albeit that most are still on holiday) have voluntarily given of themselves to make the world a little better than it was before.

We have asked via our internal anonymous online platform called SOAPBOX for staff and students to share their experiences so that we can be encouraged by what they are doing or have done. We are hoping that this feedback will serve to further inspire us.

You see, when we see others roll up their proverbial sleeves and move beyond their comfort zone in sacrificing their time and talents in an authentic way, we may be tempted to do likewise.

And that’s the point …

Only yesterday a colleague attending the NMMU Trust’s newly-launched “Ignite a candle” bursary legacy campaign was inspired to get involved.

She heard how individuals had each contributed R500 each to make up a R25 000-bursary to give to Siviwe Mbele, a first-year student who has overcome incredible odds just to get to university.

And so my friend was inspired to do her bit and is buying a virtual candle worth R500 to ensure that other worthy youngsters are afforded the same opportunity as Siviwe (see story; http://ow.ly/zg9Sb)

It’s a simple concept, like that of giving just 67 minutes’ of your time to make things better than they were before … but the impact can be far-reaching.

So whether you’re on campus or reading this in the proverbial Timbuktu, please join us at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University as we endeavour to spread the goodwill innate within us.

Surf & study 'side shows' count

When it comes to sport at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, surf’s up.

It’s definitely one sport of which we can always boast given that we’re rated fifth in the world for our surfing (I don’t remember which website honoured us as such, but we won’t let the facts get in the way of a good yarn). Of course, it does help a great deal that four of our six campuses are but a stone’s throw from the water’s edge. Okay, so I’m exaggerating when it comes to our George Campus, but Vic Bay is less than 10km from the Garden Route campus.

In fact, Victoria Bay was the venue for the annual University Sport of South Africa (USSA) surfing champs earlier this month. It was there that our boys won their section, our girls came fourth and quantity surveying student Jean du Plessis (see above) won the men’s title. He was chosen for the national student side.

Living at the coast certainly has its advantages – especially for surfers.

It’s not uncommon to see students striding down the road from campus, surfboard in hand … yes, our North, South and Second Avenue campuses are that close to Algoa Bay and its surfing spots of Baked Beans, Avalanche and Pipe. It’s winter right now when surf is generally at its best along our coastline.

And then we’re just 50 minutes’ drive from Jeffreys Bay where the J-Bay Open Pro is underway as I type.

But of course, you shouldn’t be coming to university to surf, should you?

You should be coming to study a certificate, diploma or degree that’s going to help you carve a future career and make your dreams come true.

The surfing is a marvellous bonus – a value-added extra (if you’re a surfer).

I call such extras, study “side shows”. Though your study programme choice is most important, the “side shows” are pretty important too.

After all, all work and no play makes Tom, Thabo and Tiaan dull boys.

So if you’re a surfer, NMMU is an ideal destination. The same goes for prospective students who are into lifesaving, swimming, kite surfing, paddle skiing, sailing or marine conservation.

Other “side shows” – the value-added stuff –come in the form of the university’s secure environment, the 60-odd societies that students can join, our access to the different biomes and geological formations, the many sporting codes available to students on a competitive or social level, the easy access to the beach, the opportunity to interact with such diverse groups of students (8% of our 27 000-plus students comes from 64 countries around the globe), the general cost of living …

Or as one student shared: “My learning environment is so important. I love the wide open spaces and that fact that we are in a nature reserve. I mean how many students can say they study alongside monkeys … “

So there you have it … the surfing, or whatever adds value to your study environment, might not be the main thing, but it’s pretty important.



PS. Reef breaks found at the Fence on Cape Recife Road near Humewood are all worth checking out today.

Be an early bird ... get your ticket to a better future

If you are a procrastinator, read on. If not, relax, for as an organised, pro-active individual or more especially as a would-be Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) student you will have no doubt already filled in your application form to become a student with us in 2015.

The initial closing date is 1 August.

Perhaps you have already received a provisional acceptance letter or a sms informing you of your need to undertake an access test (to see if you have the potential to complete your chosen programme). Whatever confirmation you have received from NMMU, you have a provisional student number and are in the university system.

Well done!

Now your only stress is ensuring your marks do not plummet in your final matric exams and that you secure the funding needed to pursue your study dreams.

So now, if you’re still reading, it’s just me and all you procrastinators out there.

Yes, to my regret, I’m a serial procrastinator and as a result, have missed many proverbial worms … like tickets to concerts and rugby matches; opportunities for travelling, for shopping excursions, for dinner parties … oh, the list is pretty long, and darn depressing.

But, and here’s the big BUT, I NEVER missed the opportunity to STUDY.

As a milestone moment in any person’s life, it’s the one worm we cannot afford to miss because tertiary qualifications transform lives. Let me repeat, a qualification from a university or college can change your life for the better.

At NMMU last year we received more than 24 000 applications. Fewer than 6 000 of these applications were accepted to study this year.

While many of the applicants did not qualify in terms of their marks, many more simply failed to meet the deadline. Don’t let that be you.

Right now, we’re running a closing date campaign – placing reminders in newspapers, on social media, on billboards, calling schools and basically spreading the message.

The message being: if you snooze, you’ll lose.

There’s just 29 days left to apply so get that application in. Do not wait until you receive your final matric results. It’s too late then. You need to be in the system with that all-important provisional student number to give yourself a fighting chance to study at NMMU in 2015.

If your mid-year marks are poor and you believe you can improve them in your September trial examinations you can wait till then, but you’ll be cutting it fine.

Remember, only 2% of South Africa’s population gets the opportunity to study at a university. Make sure you are part of that elite percentage.

If your marks are good enough or nearly good enough, APPLY NOW.

You can apply in the following ways:

If you have access to the internet:
You can apply online
You can download an application form
You can send an e-mail to admissions@nmmu.ac.za

If you do not have access to the internet or e-mail, you can phone our Contact Centre on 041 504 1111 and ask them to post you the information you need.

We wish you all the best with your studies.



PS There is a final application date on 5 December but rather nab the worm now. Be that early bird and get your ticket to a better future.

The impact we have ...

The child clutching a small container is being berated as a thief. The owner of a take-away outlet where the youngster hangs his head intervenes. He establishes that the young man has taken the container containing medicine for his sick mother. He pays the owner for the goods. He also instructs his young daughter to give the boy ingredients to make soup before he scampers away.

30 years on the self-same man in the take-away outlet collapses and is rushed to hospital. His daughter is overwhelmed by her father’s illness and how she is going to pay the medical fees. She tries to sell the take-away business.

As she wakes alongside her ailing father’s hospital bed she finds the hospital bill and a note saying the costs were paid in full 30 years earlier when the man covered the costs of the stolen medicine and threw in ingredients for soup. The boy is now the doctor.

I share this story of kindness – as shared at a workshop by the university’s strategic design agency Boomtown today – as a reminder of the impact we can have on other people’s lives, negatively or positively.

This is particularly pertinent in a university environment where research shows that lecturers play a critical role in student learning and achievement. But we know this, don’t we, because we all have own personal stories.

We have stories about lecturers who terrorized us; those who made us feel like we didn’t even exist and others whose contribution is a hazy if not a fond memory.

But then there are those who had the ability to encourage us to achieve more than we’d ever believed we were capable of doing. And it’s those lecturers, teachers and other individuals who deserve acknowledgement.

Fate brought that young boy, now a doctor, back into the life of the man who had saved him with his kindness as a child, and he was able to return the gesture ten-fold.

All too often, we only realize and appreciate the significant impact that some individuals have had on our lives as we age. By then we have lost contact and these special people have no idea of the role they have played. We’d like to acknowledge and thank them but time has moved on.

Occasionally, however, we are able to track them down … just as a former PE Technikon student (one of our former institutions) did of a staff member. And we realize all over again, the impact we have on others.

The staff member had just been doing her job … but in the eyes of the student she had been an agent for positive change; the staff member’s attentiveness, willingness to help and commitment meant the young women received a bursary to study. Without that financial support, she might never have obtained a tertiary education.

A thank you letter to that staff member made her realize all over again that what we do or don’t do, say or don’t say, can have long-term repercussions, either negative or positive.

It’s always vital then to remember the impact of our actions, especially when it comes to young people like our students.

A word of encouragement, a simple kindness or a pat on the back can transform a life as evidenced in the students’ thank you letter below. It was written in 2000.

I can hardly believe that today is my graduation ceremony. For my family, this is a first – I am the only person who has had a tertiary education and now, tertiary qualification.

I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for blessing me with their privilege …

I want to thank you for your constant support and kindness … Last, but not least, thank you for making such a valuable contribution to my life. I am eternally grateful. (Excuse the “soppiness” but this message comes straight from my heart – no other words can express how I feel.)

Please extend my heartfelt thanks to the rest of the staff who contributed to me getting the bursary and tell them I hope to make them produce a now officially-qualified Public Relations Practitioner. (Sounds quite good, doesn’t it!)

Moral of blog: for every action there’s a consequence. Let’s make our actions positive