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Tshegofatso Andries, a B.Ed student who was recently awarded her degree at Sol Plaatje University’s  (SPU) 2021 Virtual Graduation Ceremony, was appointed as a Core Lecturer for the Habitable Planet Workshop (HPW).

This programme run by the Applied Centre for Climate and Earth Systems Science (ACCESS), employs innovative curriculum using South Africa’s globally unique physical, biological, and cultural landscapes to introduce 3rd and 4th year students to the concept of Earth System Science. The purpose of the Core Lecture Programme is to train teachers for the highly successful ACCESS/ DST Habitable Planet Programme that is run 3-4 times a year across Southern Africa, aimed at developing participants general presentation skills, as well as developing skills in researching and presenting on a specialist topic.

According to Tshegofatso her interest in this programme peaked when she attended a public lecture in her first year at SPU, where after she applied to be a participant. She progressed to being a pioneer and now an official HPW alumni.

She credits the inaugural Emerging Student Leaders Programme at SPU as her helm which gave her the inspiration to step out of her shell and believes this was a stepping stone in developing her leadership potential and has assisted her in becoming the leader she was meant to be.

As a Core Lecturer, Tshegofatso takes up leadership positions on the planning committee for these workshops.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic HPW hosted its first online workshop in August 2020 for participants from Africa and India where Tshegofatso co-presented alongside a PhD student. The workshop also featured a keynote lecture by an Astro-Biologist Professor from the University of Florida in the United States.

Following strict health and safety regulations, Tshegofatso also presented a face-to-face workshop at the HPW32 in Pietermatritzburg, hosted by the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) that was highly rated by the participants.

Reflecting on her own journey, Tshegofatso advises students to never shy away from seeking help and encourages them to engage with their peers and to know that there is help available at the University.

She stated that students should not limit themselves only to their respective field of study or to succumb to peer pressure. She advocates the use of fear, failure, and disappointment to serve as a driver to reach and attain goals and to be actively involved in the SPU community.

Tshegofatso disclosed that as an epileptic patient, she was consistently reminded by medical professionals of how rare it is for anyone in her condition to have completed matric in record time. Despite challenges faced at university, due to the unconscious bias of some people, she remained inspired to push herself beyond that which society thought she was capable of doing.

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