Langaville long-distance runner jets off to the USA
Karabo Mashilo to study psychology in the USA
Kwa-Thema- Long-distance runner, Karabo Mashilo, has bagged an academic scholarship to study at Central Arizona, the USA to study psychology.
Flanked by his family and coach the 21-year-old from Langaville jetted off on Monday to start his educational
journey.
Karabo completed his matric last year as a top student at Kenneth Masikela Secondary School with five academic awards. He matriculated with distinctions in tourism, mathematic literacy and history.
The long-distance runner said running has kept him on the right path.
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“I started running at the age of 10 and never looked back. My first competitive run was when I was 13 when I ran in the national Athletic South Africa Country Championships.
“We were forced to practice daily and attend championships on the weekends which kept us from the streets.”
This has forced him to focus on what is important and he is happy that the hard work has finally paid off.
When he was in Grade Eight, he received a scholarship to study at the Kwa-Zulu Natal Sports Academy for four years.
His mother, Jacobeth Mashilo, said he is proud of her son and wishes him the best on his new journey.
“I was worried about him not being in university when they opened early this year.
“He had received a scholarship from one of the departments but they approved payment after the registration dates lapsed.”
Karabo failed to inform his family about the requested registration fee because he was planning to study in the USA and was still waiting for scholarship approval.
“It pained me that he matriculated with flying colours, but he was still at home like his peers. When I asked him about his plans he told me not to be stressed he is going to study in the USA,” she added.
Mashilo added that when they finally received confirmation about the scholarship she was over the moon.
His coach, Sparks Moeketsi from Waterfall Athletic Club said he is proud of Karabo.
“This shows that the hard work over the years paid off. His journey will motivate other young runners to work even harder to reach their goals,” he added.
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