KHOLOFELO Ramalepe, a gr. 11 Motse Maria Secondary School learner would not have to worry about paying for her fees when she furthers her studies.
This follows after she recently won a bursary worth R60 000 in a Junior Innovation Competition. The main objective of the competition was to examine learners’ thinking capacity by letting them come up with innovating entrepreneurship ideas that might boost the economy.
The competition was hosted by Junior Achievement South Africa in partnership with Investec Bank.
Kholofelo said she was delighted to win the bursary as her family would not have to worry about paying for her fees.
“It was tough convincing the judges to buy my ideas. But with good presentation skills, I made it. My biggest challenge during the competition was making friends with people from different cultures, races and beliefs,” said Ramalepe.
She said the judges looked at the entrants’ entrepreneurship, marketing, public speaking and financial skills. She beat 42 participants to win the bursary.
The second place winner walked away with a bursary worth R20 000, while the third place winner received a R10 000 bursary.
Ramalepe said she wanted to study at the University of Johannesburg, but could not decided between entrepreneurship, chartered accountant or law.
“Young people should not stop chasing their dreams. They should believe in themselves and work hard to achieve their goals and live their dreams. Passion, self-confidence, dedication and perseverance are the tools to success,” she said.
