Peermont student shares her lockdown studying experiences

In a world filled with uncertainty, Peermont beneficiary and Kingsway resident Deolinda Mahlalela shared some hope with others.

Jenny Findlay, manager of the Peermont Education Trust (PET), a community social investment initiative of Emperors Palace that enables youngsters to obtain a tertiary education, reached out to the Benonian, to find out how she is coping during lockdown.

“I’m doing well under the circumstances, but it hasn’t been a smooth ride as we no longer have lecturers and tutors close by,” she said.

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Deolinda is a second year Actuarial Science learner at the University of Witwatersrand (Wits). According to the youngster, studying at home has been challenging, but she has been trying to stay motivated and on track with her studies.

“It was hard and there were times when giving up looked attractive, but throughout my tribulations I believe that I have learnt to be disciplined and to keep a cool head when things were spiralling out of control,” she explained.”The DUX emails really helped to keep me on track, to manage my anxiety and channel my energy towards achieving my goals.”

Apart from having her tuition and accommodation expenses covered, getting books and a laptop, the Trust also provides a comprehensive mentorship programme for scholarship recipients to enable them to cope and develop new skills during their time at university.

The programme covers study skills, emotional intelligence and employability. Monthly mentorship meetings are also held with the students to ensure that they receive the much-needed socio-psychological support required.

During the lockdown period, the PET has been supporting its scholarship learners with a combination of WhatsApp messages, online support and phone calls to keep them motivated and on track with their studies.

For more information about the scholarships, visit www.peermont.com

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