Nothing’s stopping me from doing things differently – nobody knows the exact answers to things in life and therefore there will always be room to do better,” these are the words of Arushka Bugwandeen.
The above is the motto Arushka has chosen to live by.
This young lady is one of Estcourt’s very own.
She attended Estcourt High School, and then off she went to the University of Cape Town where Arushka graduated with BCom Honours in financial analysis and portfolio management.
Ever since she has been working and living in Cape Town after graduating from UCT.
“In 2012 I went on to study Masters in Management: Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Belgium.
It was a great experience, meeting people from all parts of the world, travelling to a number of countries and competing in international business challenges,” she excitedly said reliving the moment.
Arushka then returned to Cape Town in September 2013 after graduating from her Masters and has been working as a consultant at a developmental consultancy.
In her Matric year she was offered an invite by the principal to apply for the Allan Grey Orbis Fellowship.
“I’d added this application to the list of scholarships I’d applied for but when going through the selection process it turned out very different to other company’s programmes.
The programme is focused on stretching the capabilities of Fellows in social development and entrepreneurship.”
The more Arushka came to terms of understanding the purpose of the programme it entailed, the more she realised that it’s about creating social value.
This being something very forceful in the context of our country of which is currently developing.
Flying the Estcourt flag high indeed.
The vision of this foundation, of which Arushka was elected president, is to create a generation of high impact entrepreneurs that will bring about radical transformation in Southern Africa and the world at large. I’m sure that you now aware that Arushka has direction, and without wasting any valuable time is heading in that direction.
She believes that one can never learn too much.
Due to the above belief, her current goals in her career are positioned at understanding the society within which she works and understanding the opportunities that are available for her team within the Fellowship.
“As the President of the Association, it’s my responsibility to ultimately make sure that businesspeople are created through my efforts.
So my current focus is largely on steering the Association and directing the group’s efforts towards a point where people are equipped to start their own businesses,” wise words she shared.
In the long run Arushka expects things to change for the better and grow.
Which they always do, Arushka proudly made it clear that this is a setting she thrives in.
The lessons Arushka hung tightly onto from her experiences is that those current circumstances you facing don’t prescribe the rest of your life. And there are opportunities that exist for everyone out there to flourish and it’s our obligation to find them and exploit them.
We wish Arushka all the best with her achievements.