Born leaders receive prestige awards

MBOMBELA – Not one, but two former Penryn College pupils are recipients of a prestigious 2016 Mandela Rhodes scholarship.

The scholarships are offered by the Mandela Rhodes Foundation and is aimed at building leadership excellence on the continent.

Tessa Ware and Natasha Ashley were selected out of 5 000 applicants across the continent and are among 50 candidates who have received the scholarship. These two from the class of 2011 will reunite next year at Rhodes University.

However, it has not been an easy journey. They had to go through a grilling selection process first. The first step was to submit an application which involved sending their academic record, curriculum vitae and two essays.

“The second step was attending an interview in Cape Town. Throughout this process I received tremendous support from family and friends,” Tessa said. She is completing her BA degree in anthropology, history and English at Rhodes University and will enrol for her honours in 2016.

The opportunity will expose the two to interaction with a diverse group of fellow scholars from various African countries, studying different academic disciplines.
They will become part of a wide-ranging network of young Africans of excellence who are expected to play leadership roles in their fields and societies.

Speaking about her early days at Penryn College, Tessa says she participated in the President’s Awards and other projects which prepared her for the future. She also hoped to attain clearer direction in her leadership and use the workshops held by the scholarship to uncover more about which leadership style suited her.

Adding to that, she says she has been fortunate to have gained leadership experience both from Penryn and as an executive member of the Students Representative Council at Rhodes.”  The more I discover about leadership, the more I realise how much there is to learn,” she says.

Natasha is caught in the same euphoria as Tessa. She says receiving the call from the managing director of the programme has changed her life.

“I feel absolutely honoured to be a recipient of such a wonderful and life-changing award. This is an amazing opportunity for me to further my studies and make an impact on South Africa,” she said.

Natasha is completing her honours degree in business management at the University of Pretoria and will read her master’s at Rhodes University next year with specialisation in international business.

She has also commended her high school studies at Penryn for providing her with a solid foundation that had developed her in leadership, culture and sport.”I took advantage of all the opportunities that were given to me by Penryn, coupled with strong Christian principles and morals.  It helped me develop my character,”
she adds.