Monash South Africa student awarded Mandela Rhodes scholarship

18 November 2011

Angela Obwaka

From the left: Ass Prof Dina Burger, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research at Monash South Africa, with Angela Obwaka and Hester Stols, Research Coordinator

Angela Obwaka, a 23 year old Monash South Africa student, has been awarded a prestigious Mandela Rhodes Scholarship to undertake postgraduate study next year.

Angela, who is from Nairobi, Kenya, has just completed her Bachelor of Business Science degree in Human Resource Management and Tourism and plans to study towards an Honours degree in Strategic Management at the University of Johannesburg next year.

Prof Tyrone Pretorius, Pro Vice-Chancellor and President of Monash South Africa says: “We are delighted that Angela has been given this wonderful opportunity. We are also very proud that, over the past four years, six Monash South Africa students have been awarded a prestigious Mandela Rhodes Scholarship, especially considering that we are still a relatively small campus. It reflects the calibre of our students and the emphasis that we at place on a holistic education at Monash.”

Mandela Rhodes Scholarships are awarded to students from across the African continent with scholastic, intellectual and leadership potential and enable recipients to study towards a postgraduate programme through a recognised South African tertiary institution.

The Mandela Rhodes Foundation believes that in order to achieve its full potential, Africa needs a critical mass of leaders with exceptional intellectual capacity, but also with character, integrity and commitment. This holistic leadership programme includes mandatory supplementary workshops and a mentoring system and aims to create a network of excellent leaders in Africa.

Angela says she is humbled and feels extremely blessed at being given this exciting opportunity. She added: “Besides completing my Honours degree, I have no grand plans as yet. I am not taking it lightly,  I am still processing it all. The enormity of it all will hit me when I get home to my family.”

“So far we have all been treated like VIPs by the Foundation. We have also been reminded about how much we have to offer the world and that there’s potential in each of us to bring true change to communities across Africa.”

Angela is really looking forward to next year and taking part in the workshops and training and mentoring sessions that have been lined up by the Foundation.