Alumnus Donates 13th Cheque Towards Groceries for Deserving Student

BY: .

A UKZN alumnus Ms Jennifer Sheokarah used her first 13^th cheque from the school where she is now a teacher to buy groceries for a deserving student in residence.

The fortunate student is Mr Simosabo Ntuli, who is studying for his Bachelor of Education degree on the Edgewood campus. Said Ntuli: ‘This humbles me and I promise to work very hard to complete my degree.'

Sheokarah said campus life had not been easy for her as she received no financial aid or a place in a UKZN residence. A res spot eventually became available and she occupied it for six consecutive years during which time she completed her undergraduate, honours and master’s degrees.

She then moved to Richards Bay to teach English at a secondary school.

There had been huge financial strain on her family at first to keep her at university but her academic excellence paved the way for numerous scholarships over the years which resulted in her further pursuing her studies.

With this background, Sheokarah decided to approach the Department of Student Residence Affairs, where she had worked for a year during her honours degree while tutoring in order to lessen the financial strain on her family, to assist a deserving student with groceries. ‘I strongly believe that one should appreciate and forever remember the challenges especially when one reaches points of success,’ said Sheokarah. ‘It is due to my background and academic and residence experience as a whole that I use my first 13th cheque to buy a student groceries. It is something I just needed to do.'

Mr Julian King of DSRA commended Sheokarah for her generous gesture.

Words: Ndabaonline