Emma Smith Award Recipient Set for Oxford University

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Politics and Economics student, Ms Rachel Morrow (22), is thrilled about being awarded a scholarship which will allow her to read for a Masters’ degree in Global Governance and Diplomacy at Oxford University in England.

Morrow was one of two recipients of the Emma Smith Overseas Scholarship which acknowledges and encourages top-performing female students.

Morrow is a consistent high-achiever, having entered the University on a merit scholarship for her outstanding IEB matric results. She continued to impress, completing a Bachelor of Social Science degree in Politics and Economics and an Honours degree Economics.

Morrow says she is excited not only about the opportunity to study at Oxford  and pursue her passion for development and conflict resolution but also about the opportunity to fulfil her keen desire to travel and see other parts of the world.

She says she is feeling particularly blessed as she acknowledges that scholarships are difficult to attain. ‘I’ve applied for many but you can never be sure of the outcome because the calibre of students is extremely high, the competition is fierce and the differences between results and achievements are marginal.’ 

Morrow encouraged students to work hard to excel at a high level. ‘You don’t want to be one of thousands of students with an average aggregate of 50%; you want to be the best you can be.’

Her advice to young people is to take full advantage of the tertiary life experience. A member of the UKZN Yachting club, Rotaract Durban Berea (Rotary’s Youth Wing) and the Howard College Debating Union, Morrow says getting involved in these organisations helped her to learn and grow. ‘You create amazing things, - you put in a bit of effort and get so much more of a rewarding experience out of it helping you  grow as a person and as a leader.

‘I interacted with other students who applied for and attained overseas scholarships and they helped me believe I could do the same. I set myself a goal - I visualised my dream of studying at Oxford and it came true.’ 

She also credits her mum for giving her strength by being “the rock” in her life.

Morrow says she loved her years at UKZN. ‘The courses I registered for in the first two years of study focused on critical engagement and encouraged me to have a broader world view.’

She says she is passionate about South Africa and Africa as a whole, and wants to be part of a solution by making a contribution to development and conflict resolution. 

Morrow has left for the United Kingdom.

-Sejal Desai