LIMPOPO – Abdicate Nkuna from Ka-Gawula village, a student from the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) in the department of computer science, has described her time in Jakarta, Indonesia at the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES) World Assembly 2023 as one of the best experiences of her life.
She said it was a great opportunity to connect with students from diverse backgrounds, share ideas, and learn about global issues instead of being short-sighted by where she comes from.
“My passion for helping others has been evident in my involvement in most TUT activities in the last few years, which included being the first female president of the student representative council in my term in 2020/21. I aim to continue giving back to my people at home, by sharing the knowledge gained from the assembly with my local community, supporting educational initiatives, and advocate for improved access to resources such as technology and educational programmes, fostering mentorship, and encouraging talent that can help empower students to pursue their goals and contribute to their communities’ development,” said Nkuna.
She said through these experiences she has learnt to interact with a diverse group of people, which has increased her ability to relate to others and open international doors for her.
“The fellowship shapes lives and develops leaders all around the world and supports over 180 different countries. They are committed to seeing students witness establishment in every university in the world. On the other hand, TUT as the people’s university seeks to develop internal capacity and opportunities for creativity, research, innovation, engagement, and technology transfer, increase productivity, and impact advancement growth, development, sustainability, and invest in people so that they find fulfillment in executing their tasks and uphold the highest service delivery standards according to the strategic plan 2020-2025,” she added.
She told CV that the seminar covered topics such as breaking new ground, ethical leadership, creating a healthy ecosystem for students, graduates and alumni, basic principles of self-education, and reaching international students.
“The university is a place where people engage with the big questions and debates happening today, which will shape the decisions of tomorrow’s leaders. One of TUT’s missions is to direct us towards solving pressing societal problems and ensuring that our students are productive and active citizens. Upon my return, I seek to empower and equip students, faculties, and researchers to join and re-orient conversations across the academic world through regional consultations, mentoring, and research to enhance students in all areas of university life.”
Nkuna said she further wishes to contribute as a student in the department of computer science.
“In 2017, University Ranking by Academic Performance (URAP) ranked TUT as the number one university of technology in Africa, and in my opinion, giving young people the tools they need to compete with the top five universities worldwide will come from investing in international and global engagements.”
