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FirstRand Laurie Dippenaar Scholarship for Postgraduate International Study

2014 FirstRand Laurie Dippenaar Scholarship for Postgraduate International StudyApplications open Friday 3 January 2014 and close on Friday 28 February 2014. For details and the application form go to www.firstrand.co.za

Applications open 3 January 2014and close 28 February 2014

2014 FirstRand Laurie Dippenaar scholarship for postgraduate international study

Introduction

The FirstRand Laurie Dippenaar scholarship, to the value of R400 000 per annum for a maximum of two years, is available to South African citizens for postgraduate study outside South Africa in any discipline at an international university of their choice.

The successful candidates will have excelled academically in their chosen field and will have been able to demonstrate: • leadership qualities;• strength of character;• community involvement; and• the potential to be a destiny changer in his or her chosen field.

There is no age limit, but preference will be given to candidates under the age of 35.

Candidates who are currently, or have been studying overseas, will not be considered for this scholarship.

The successful candidate is required to return to South Africa for at least five years after completing his or her studies.

What makes this scholarship different from most is not only the personal interest which Laurie Dippenaar, chairman of FirstRand, takes in the selection process, but also his interest in the ongoing progress of the recipients.

2014 will be the 8th year that this prestigious scholarship will be awarded.

Applications for the 2014 FirstRand Laurie Dippenaar scholarship for postgraduate international study will open on Friday 3 January 2014 and close on Friday 28 February 2014.

Details and the application form will be available on the FirstRand website, www.firstrand.co.za

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“The candidates that we interviewed are blessed with the finest intellects I have encountered anywhere. They all have excelled academically, have strong leadership characteristics and have contributed to the upliftment of people less fortunate than themselves. It is an extremely rewarding and humbling experience conducting the interviews. I remain convinced that we have phenomenally talented young people in South Africa.” – Laurie Dippenaar, Chairman, FirstRand.

Profiles of previous scholarship awardees follow.

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FirstRand Laurie Dippenaar scholarship

Matthew studied Mechatronics Engineering at the University of Cape Town. His research at Oxford will focus on computer vision and robust decision making for autonomous urban vehicles.

Matthew devotes his time when not studying to literary modernism, art history, comparative religious studies and travel. His preferred physical pastimes include bouldering, skateboarding, dancing, and hatha yoga.

Matthew Gadd2013 FirstRand Laurie Dippenaar scholarship

DPhil Engineering Science, Oxford University

Shahida studied Medicine at the University of the Witwatersrand. Following her internship and community service years, she spent some time working in paediatrics before choosing to specialise in medical genetics. In 2012, Shahida graduated as the first primary specialist in medical genetics in southern Africa. She is currently pursuing a PhD to realise her dream of becoming a clinician-scientist, so that she can improve both patient care and the level of clinical research in South Africa.

Shahida Moosa2013 FirstRand Laurie Dippenaar scholarship

PhD in Molecular Genetics, University of Cologne

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Sizwe graduated in 2012 with an Honours degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from the University of Cape Town. In 2013, he will read for a MPhil in International Relations at Oxford University. He was selected as one of the Mail and Guardian’s top 200 young South Africans in 2013. In 2010, he served as president of the UCT Students’ Representative Council and received the Vice Chancellor’s Award for “outstanding contribution to the University”. In 2011, he served as an intern at the United States House of Representatives in Washington, DC and represented South Africa at the One Young World conference in Zurich. He released a hip-hop album in 2006 which was nominated for a KORA-All African Music Award, played soccer for the Orlando Pirates Youth Academy between 2003 and 2006 and is a co-founder of InkuluFreeHeid: a youth led social movement created to deepen South African democracy.

Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh2013 FirstRand Laurie Dippenaar scholarship

MPhil in International Relations, Oxford University

Charlotte has recently graduated in Electro-Mechanical Engineering at the University of Cape Town. Her final thesis involved the design and building of a scaled-down replica of Curiosity, the Mars rover, for the Cape Town Science Centre. With Charlotte’s passion for all things technical and creative she is pursuing a combined Masters in engineering and art. Innovation Design Engineering is a specialised degree facilitated by both Imperial College London and Royal College of Art. She aims to use innovative engineering ideas as a tool for transformation in order to actively participate in the development of South Africa. Her interests lie in green technology involving the innovative use of waste materials.

Charlotte Slingsby2013 FirstRand Laurie Dippenaar scholarship

MA in Innovation Design Engineering, Imperial College London and Royal College of Art

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Matthew completed an honours degree in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics at the University of Cape Town as a fellow of the Mellon Foundation. He completed a MSc in Economics for Development (cum laude) at Oxford University, winning the Luca d’Agliano prize for the best dissertation. His research focused on microeconomic theory and micro-econometrics and included papers on sex work, language in the labour market and, more recently, gender dynamics in intra-household resource allocation models. Upon returning to South Africa, Matthew will work in management consulting in Johannesburg and will rejoin various youth-led social movements concerned with strengthening South African civil society. Matthew is a former South African universities debating champion, national ice hockey player and rowed for his college first boat at Oxford – he hopes to continue these interests in the future.

Matthew Butler-Adam2012 FirstRand Laurie Dippenaar scholarship

MSc in Economics for Development, Oxford University

After completing her MSc at the University of Cape Town, Thyla is currently completing an MSc in Information Security at Royal Holloway, University of London. Upon completion of this degree, Thyla is likely to embark on a PhD programme at the college as one of its first Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Cyber Security candidates, funded by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). Thyla currently represents South Africa on the International Organisation for Standardisation/International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC) international standards committee responsible for standardising cryptographic mechanisms and protocols. Her new research will draw on her experience as an industry cryptographer and ISO/IEC delegate as she analyses the security of authenticated encryption schemes. Thyla found her time in London to be immensely enjoyable and academically rewarding. True to her active roots, she continued to rock climb and cycle, and in the new academic year, intends to participate in a few races!

Thyla van der Merwe2012 FirstRand Laurie Dippenaar scholarship

MSc in Information Security at Royal Holloway, University of London

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Nkazi grew up with his parents and younger brother in a township on the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal. After completing his Finance and Accounting degree at the University of Cape Town, he worked in Nigeria, Kenya and Tanzania as a management consultant for McKinsey. Following experience working with the current Emerging Markets CEO at Old Mutual on various projects, he went on to complete a MBA at Columbia Business School. With his two-year holiday of mingling with some of the smartest minds in the world of business and extensive travel with classmates behind him, he’s looking forward to re-entering corporate South Africa and building a long-term career in finance.

Nkazimulo Sokhulu2011 FirstRand Laurie Dippenaar scholarship

MBA, Columbia University

David has been admitted as an advocate and is currently doing pupillage at Thulamela Chambers in Johannesburg. He has had exposure to a range of constitutional and commercial cases including at an appellate level. Before this, he was a visiting scholar at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law, and clerked at the Constitutional Court for former Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo as well as Justices Johan Froneman and Raymond Zondo. He studied a Bachelor of Civil Law at Oxford University and completed his undergraduate and law degrees at the University of Cape Time. On weekends, David enjoys going for hikes and reading novels.

David Watson2010 FirstRand Laurie Dippenaar scholarship

MPhil in Civil Law, Oxford University

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David obtained his BSc Honours in Pure Mathematics from the University of Cape Town. He is currently working towards a PhD in Machine and Statistical Learning at Lancaster University as part of the STOR-i (Statistics and Operations Research) group. David graduated at the top of his class from the Master of Research degree, which forms the first year of the course and is about to complete his first year of doctoral research. His work on “High Dimensional Clustering” resulted in an invitation to speak at the Royal Statistics Society at their conference in Newcastle this September. David hopes one day to apply this work in the automated analysis of medical images, where it could, at least in theory, aid in the diagnostic process for certain conditions and diseases.

Lancaster’s status as a city is belied by its small size and stems mostly from historical significance. This means that a fifteen minute cycle in almost any direction has one out in the countryside, something which David takes advantage of whenever possible.

David Hofmeyr2010 FirstRand Laurie Dippenaar scholarship

MA in Organisational Mathematics, Edinburgh University

Ben Winks studied law at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), where he became a lecturer before the FirstRand Laurie Dippenaar scholarship enabled him to study at Leiden University in the Netherlands. There he studied international law of peace, justice and development, and graduated top of his class. He then returned to lecturing at UJ, before serving as a clerk at the Constitutional Court. He is currently serving articles at Webber Wentzel Attorneys in Johannesburg, working predominantly in dispute resolution. In this time, he has particularly enjoyed working on landmark access to information litigation. In the next few years, he plans to become an advocate, return to academia part-time and write a book on the history of the South African legal profession. He hopes one day to feel comfortable speaking all eleven of our official languages and to play a part in building a better society.

Ben Winks2009 FirstRand Laurie Dippenaar scholarship

Advanced LLM, Leiden University

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Maryke received a BA Honours in History from the University of Kwazulu-Natal. She has a passion for teaching and believes that education is fundamental to achieving social justice in South African society. She is very concerned about the compromised standards of education and believes that exposing learners to incompetent teachers is a gross human rights violation. She lives out her passion for education and history by teaching at Parktown High School for Girls. Maryke is a founding member of Phemba, an organisation that aims to keep excellent teachers within the profession by creating a supportive network of dedicated and highly skilled teachers. She loves travelling, pub quizzes, reading novels and getting new stationery. She enjoys swimming as well as running around the Johannesburg Zoo for exercise.

Maryke du Plooy2009 FirstRand Laurie Dippenaar scholarship

MPhil in Intellectual History, University of Sussex

Lucy completed her MA in Politics at the University of Stellenbosch and her PhD in International Relations at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) London University in 2011. Her manuscript Uncovering African Agency: Angola’s Management of China’s Credit Lines was published by Ashgate, London in early 2013. After a three-month stint as a research associate at the BRICS Policy Centre in Rio de Janeiro, she decided it was time for something completely different. In July 2012, Lucy moved to Johannesburg to join RMB on the prestigious Class Of programme. Her plan is to turn her passion for China-Africa relations into a viable career in finance.

Lucy was bitten by the travel bug at an early age and, when not dreaming up plausible excuses to explore new corners of the globe, can be found engrossed in a historical novel.

Lucy Corkin2008 FirstRand Laurie Dippenaar scholarship

PhD in Political Science, SOAS

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Christie obtained his PhD in Extractive Metallurgical Engineering at Stellenbosch University in December 2012. His position as lecturer at the Department of Process Engineering allows him to pursue his passion for teaching as well as research in the field of extractive metallurgy. His research focuses on the development and modelling of economic and environmentally-friendly hydrometallurgical processes for the recovery of valuable metals from low grade ores and secondary sources. In his spare time, he enjoys exploring the Stellenbosch surroundings on foot or by bike.

Christie Dorfling2007 FirstRand Laurie Dippenaar scholarship

MSc in Engineering, Cambridge University

Gus has a law degree from the University of Pretoria. Gus’ passion is divided equally between international law and the visual documentation of human rights abuses through photography. He spent four years working as a professional freelance photojournalist and has, in the course of his work as both legal academic and photographer, travelled to around forty countries on four continents.

His academic interest relates primarily to the intersection and application of international humanitarian law, international human rights law and international criminal law – to this end he places much emphasis on human rights fact-finding. He is currently an associate professor at the University of South Africa in international law and also served until recently as legal advisor to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial summary or arbitrary executions.

Gus’ academic monograph on child soldiering is being published by Hart Publishing in Oxford. Parallel to his academic work, Gus is commencing on a project entitled ‘Children and Armed Conflict: An Untold Story in Pictures’. This project will culminate in the publication of a photo-book with commentary, chronicling the effects of armed conflict on children.

Gus Waschefort2007 FirstRand Laurie Dippenaar scholarship

PhD in Law, SOAS

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Momentum Dippenaar scholarship

Mluleki was born and bred in Elukwatini, Mpumalanga. He completed his LLB degree at the University of Zululand and an LLM in Banking and Stock Exchange Law at the University of Johannesburg. He then worked in the Global Markets division of Nedbank Capital before joining Webber Wentzel Attorneys. He currently works as an associate in the Mergers and Acquisition team.

Mluleki is passionate about the economic development of Africa and has a keen interest in financial markets. He also enjoys giving back to the youth by conducting educational and motivational seminars at his former universities and high school. He says he is looking forward to studying with a group of diverse students from different backgrounds and learning more about their cultures.

Mluleki Shongwe2013 Momentum Dippenaar scholarship

LLM in Finance and Law, Duisenberg School of Finance

Leanne is a medical graduate from the University of Pretoria and completed her Masters in Public Health last year. She is currently building a hut on a hill overlooking the sea in the former Ciskei. She is the health programme advisor for the Keiskamma Trust Community Health Programme and her role includes: programme design, management, monitoring and evaluation, and training and supporting a team of community health workers to provide health care in 47 villages. She is also conducting health policy research with the Health Systems Research Unit and the Medical Research Council in preparation for her PhD, which she plans to complete at the University of Cape Town. Her long-term goal is to address health inequalities and strengthen the public health system in South Africa. She also loves bicycle adventures and recently cycled 400 km across the Karoo. She shares her home with eleven cows, three donkeys and seven chickens.

Leanne Brady2011 Momentum Dippenaar scholarship

MSc in Public Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

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Tracey is currently a PhD student at Stellenbosch University. After completing an MSc Education at the University of Edinburgh, Tracey returned to South Africa to teach English at a secondary school level and academic literacy development in higher education. During this time, Tracey experienced first-hand the discrepancy between skills developed within the National Senior Certificate, and the skills required to access and succeed at University. For this reason, she has taken up a research post with the Centre for Critical Research on Race and Identity in conjunction with the Department of Higher Education and Training and the Graduate School of Stellenbosch University. Her doctoral research will be focusing on the evaluation of an academic literacy development pedagogy which aims to maximise the assistance given to first-year undergraduate students to ensure learners are given the requisite tools and skills to complete undergraduate studies in the minimum time frame allowed. Although Tracey’s current research is focusing on academic literacy development at university level, she hopes to use her research to develop an appropriate bridging programme for Grade 12 learners to support an easy transition into university. Tracey hopes to run the first such programme during 2014 in the Western Cape. Given these research interests, she was recently asked to join the board of Reading to Learn South Africa, an NGO specialising in the retraining of teachers in South Africa and Uganda, for the reading and writing component of the school curriculum. Given that Tracey resides in Stellenbosch with her husband, time away from her research is spent on the many vineyards surrounding Stellenbosch, running with the local farmers’ dogs and visiting the many coffee shops on offer in Stellenbosch.

Tracey Millin2010 Momentum Dippenaar scholarship

MSc Education in Language Teaching, Edinburgh University

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Kyla studied genetics at the University of Pretoria and is completing her PhD thesis; comparing the ability of stem cells derived from fetal and adult bone marrow to tissue engineer cartilage for use in the treatment of joint diseases. She has been invited to give a podium presentation at the World Congress of the International Cartilage Repair Society in Izmir, Turkey in September. She has also submitted a manuscript for publication comprising the research carried out during her PhD. Kyla currently holds a post-doctoral position at the University of Bristol, which will further enhance her research scope and technical expertise to equip her for a career in translational and regenerative medicine when she returns to South Africa. She is trying to maintain a balance through practising yoga and going on adventures with her sausage dog duo.

Kyla Brady2009 Momentum Dippenaar scholarship

PhD Stem Cell Research, Bristol University

Willem hails from Bloemfontein and after his schooling there he completed his undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in accounting at Stellenbosch University. The scholarship allowed him the opportunity to pursue his studies in management research at the Oxford University Business School. His love for rugby and cricket has been a common theme throughout his life and he was awarded a Blue for both sports; playing in the annual university matches between Oxford and Cambridge.

On return from the UK, Willem completed his chartered accountancy training through FirstRand. He has recently moved to Pembani Remgro Infrastructure Managers, which focuses on investing in infrastructure-related companies and projects on the African continent.

Willem Klopper2008 Momentum Dippenaar scholarship

MA in Management Research, Oxford University

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Dominique is a graduate of Rhodes University. After completing her MSc at Oxford, Dominique worked with two NGOs in London – Save the Children and the Bianca Jagger Human Rights Foundation. She took a year off in 2011 to travel, work and volunteer in Central America and the Caribbean with her English boyfriend (now fiancé). Returning to South Africa in 2012, she joined RB Africa – a consultancy based in East London. RB Africa provides strategic advisory services for companies experiencing conflict between unions and management, and offers legal and research services to the provincial government. Dominique spends more time in Johannesburg than she would like and is currently managing the implementation of a strategy to enable effective communication between management and unions at a manufacturing company on the East Rand. Although she loves her job, her heart is in the Eastern Cape and she hopes for the opportunity to help create sustainable change in her home province.

Dominique Schafer2008 Momentum Dippenaar scholarship

MSc in African Studies, Oxford University

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FirstRand assistance bursaries

Deena recently completed his Honours in English Literature at the University of the Witwatersrand. Since then, he has been working as a researcher on a new book on Johannesburg’s under-examined history. He has also been volunteering at a school that supports refugee children as they try to access mainstream education in South Africa. Issues of migration in African literature is a major research interest, and will likely be a central focus of his thesis.

In his free time, Deena enjoys playing football (he models his game on an out-of-shape Michael Carrick), film photography and occasionally working as a hip-hop DJ in Braamfontein’s bustling party scene. He already misses the sunshine that will be so hard to come by for the next two years.

Deena Dinat2013 FirstRand Assistance bursary

MA in English Literature, University of British Columbia

Tiffany recently completed her Honours in Political Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand and is an intern at SECTION27 and also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Law and International Relations. Not quite ready to let go of the social sciences just yet, she decided to place her LLB on hold and spend an additional year exploring the human rights discourse as a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow. She subsequently pursued her Honours in Political Studies, with a focus on gender equality (or the lack thereof) in a South African context. Tiffany feels prepared and excited to leap into the next stage of her academic career as a Sociology Masters student in Gender, Sexuality and Society at the University of Amsterdam. Having become accustomed to the question “but why gender?” her response is simply that “for as long as discrimination and violence is inflicted upon women and LGBT people, questioning the relevance of gender studies remains an irrelevant enquiry all together.” Although her time left in Johannesburg is limited, Tiffany plans to continue interning at SECTION27, a public interest law centre that remains committed to promoting and advancing socio-economic rights in South Africa.

Tiffany Ebrahim2013 FirstRand Assistance bursary

MSc in Gender, Sexuality and Society, Amsterdam University

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Ngovuyo grew up in Cape Town with his mother and four older siblings. He enjoyed and excelled at jazz trombone being selected on a number of occasions to the National Schools Big Band at the Grahamstown Jazz Festival. He also performed twice at the Cape Town Jazz Festival with the Cape Town-based youth jazz group, The Little Giants. Ngovuyo had another passion alongside his love of jazz music; finance. He went on to study Business Science at the University of Cape Town focusing on finance and economics. During this time he continued to play jazz and ventured into jazz composition, with two of his compositions being recorded. After completing his degree, he joined the South African Reserve Bank on their graduate programme. He then joined Rand Merchant Bank’s FICC team as a trader. This is where he stayed until he left to pursue his postgraduate degree at St Edmund’s College, Cambridge University.

Ngovuyo has recently completed his masters degree and wishes to plough all the knowledge and experience gained in the UK back into sub-Saharan Africa. Ngovuyo also hopes to help the organisation, Thought School, which he co-founded with fellow young professionals in 2011 and expand into more communities around the Gauteng region. Thought School is a not-for-profit organisation that helps learners from underprivileged backgrounds in mathematics, literacy, career guidance, and general life skills. He says that this project has become his third passion in life together with jazz and finance!

Ngovuyo Gugushe2012 FirstRand Assistance bursary

MA in Finance, Cambridge University

Robert completed an honours degree in English literature at the University of the Witwatersrand and is currently completing his Masters in English Literature, with plans to return to South Africa in 2014 to finish his LLB. When not presenting literature seminars, Robert spends his time calculating his batting average (it’s marginally better than Chris Martin’s), or travelling in the Middle East. He maintains a keen interest in politics and has worked with refugees and asylum seekers while in London. Some highlights of his year include attending conferences with Joseph Raz and Peter Singer, as well as giving a talk in conjunction with Martin Creed.

Robert Freeman2012 FirstRand Assistance bursary

MA in Issues in Modern Culture, University College London

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Alex finished her Masters in Performance Studies at New York University (NYU) in May 2013. She will be returning to South Africa later this year to resume her work in theatre and the performing arts. In the past, Alex has acted, directed and written for theatre, radio and television, as well as working in arts administration and teaching acting and voice. She is looking to pursue a PhD in South Africa which will combine her artistic practice with academic research in furthering the possibilities of socially-engaged theatre and performance work, with a particular interest in environmental sustainability, gender quality, cultural identity and economic difference. She also happily anticipates a return to her involvement with three theatre companies already keenly engaged with these issues: Well Worn Theatre, the Mothertongue Project and Magnet Theatre. Currently in London, she is relishing seeing as much theatre as possible for pure viewing pleasure.

Alexandra Halligey2012 FirstRand Assistance bursary

MA in Performance Studies, New York University

Jessica has a social science degree from the University of Cape Town and has recently completed her first year at Columbia University’s School of International Affairs, where she is enrolled in an MPA in Economic and Political Development. So far, the experience has surpassed all of Jessica’s expectations – her first year has proved to be a whirlwind of stimulating courses, wonderful people and exciting New York adventures. At the moment, Jessica is in Colombia where she has been interning for the summer with Un Techo Para Mi Pais, a youth-based organisation with a broad social agenda, including construction of emergency housing, education, health, community leadership, microfinance and microenterprise. The experience has afforded her a rare and fascinating glimpse into Latin American development and the chance to participate in the upliftment of some of Bogota’s poorest and most vulnerable communities.

She is proud to be have been awarded a position as teacher’s assistant for the fall semester, and has also been accepted into the International Fellows Program at Columbia – a year-long fellowship for a selection of students from Columbia’s graduate schools, which examines the changing face of the global order and analyses the shifting roles of the US and other emerging players. She is eager to introduce the South African perspective into the seminar.

Jessica Benjamin2012 FirstRand Assistance bursary

MA in Public Administration, Columbia University

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Zoë has an electrical engineering degree from the University of Cape Town and has an interest in the creation of sustainable electricity systems. Her past experience saw her managing the maintenance and operation of Africa’s largest electrical generators at Koeberg power station. In search of further challenge and academic stimulus, Zoë undertook an MSc in Sustainable Energy Systems at the University of Edinburgh in 2011/12 – an environment in which she thrived, both in terms of all that the city had to offer and the fantastic academic programme.

Since returning to Cape Town, Zoë has taken up a position in Eskom’s Distribution division, where she is involved in planning electricity networks to cater for growth and potential renewable generation in rural parts of the Western Cape. She remains passionate about the value of education and is wholeheartedly involved in the Hope Network (a small scholarship and mentoring programme for South African females completing degrees in science, engineering and medicine) and the Cape Town Expo for Young Scientists.

Zoë Lincoln2011 FirstRand Assistance bursary

MSc in Sustainable Energy Systems, Edinburgh University

Hannah is a graduate of Rhodes University and completed her MA degree in Development Studies, specialising in Poverty Studies and Policy Analysis, at the Institute of Social Studies (Erasmus University Rotterdam) in The Hague in 2011. The degree complemented her previous training in anthropology and work experience focused on social accountability and human rights monitoring work among civil society organisations across southern Africa. In particular, her studies enabled her to explore the nexus between religion, culture and development; a research area which she remains fascinated by and committed to.

Hannah currently works as a senior social scientist at a consultancy firm, Coastal and Environmental Services. Within this capacity, her professional interests relate to the social impacts of planned change and challenges of income and livelihood restoration, particularly in terms of involuntary resettlement. Hannah is also busy planning her wedding to the wonderful man she met as a fellow student in Rotterdam.

Hannah de Wet2010 FirstRand Assistance bursary

MA Development Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam

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Inka is a honours graduate of University of Cape Town and since the completion of an MSc in Environmental Change and Management, Inka has been working in the field of renewable energy and carbon management. She is currently based at the World Bank in Washington DC, learning about the challenges of providing energy access in low-income countries and the practical implications of leap-frogging to clean energy systems. This work has taken her to interesting countries, including the Maldives and Turkey, where she has seen the impacts of climate finance in local contexts. Beyond her work, Inka has been competing in outdoor adventure races and volleyball leagues, which provide a welcome change to an office environment. She has also been trying to explore new parts of the USA such as Seattle, Utah and Puerto Rico, which have given her valuable insights into the country.

Inka Schomer2010 FirstRand Assistance bursary

MSc Environmental Change Management, Oxford University

Simon grew up in Johannesburg and completed his BA at the University of the Witwatersrand where he majored in Philosophy and English. He is also a musician and recording producer and following his BA went to London with his band. His passion however remained with philosophy, so he returned to complete his Honours in philosophy, intent thereafter on pursuing graduate study overseas. He was fortunate to gain admission to New York University, widely regarded as the best philosophy graduate programme in the world. In 2010 he and his wife Abigail – a lawyer, and herself a FirstRand award winner – moved to New York City to commence their masters’ degrees.

At NYU, Simon completed coursework in a variety of subjects, mainly focusing on metaphysics, language and logic. His MA thesis similarly reflects these interests. Simon served on the NYU Philosophy colloquium committee and was invited to deliver a paper at a conference at the City University of New York. In 2013, he worked as adjunct instructor at NYU in the College of Arts and Science. In his free time, he works on music and photography and volunteers at Housing Works, a charity dedicated to fighting homelessness and AIDS.

Simon Marcus2010 FirstRand Assistance bursary

MA Philosophy, New York University

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Abigail attended the University of the Witwatersrand for her BA in Law and International Relations, before proceeding to complete her law degree (LLB) at the University of the Witwatersrand in 2007. An accomplished legal debater, she won the All-Africa Moot competition, and represented South Africa at the Jessup World Moot competition in Washington DC, in 2008. Abigail completed her law articles at Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs and later joined the firm as an associate. However, it had always been her goal to enhance her legal expertise by studying abroad. In 2010, she was admitted to New York University’s (NYU) prestigious school of law to complete the Masters in Law. In addition to the generous award from the FirstRand Foundation, Abigail received awards from the Oppenheimer Memorial Trust and NYU. At NYU, she selected a range of courses intended to deepen her practical and theoretical knowledge in areas such as environmental law, corporate governance, human dignity and the rule of law.

Following her LLM, Abigail successfully passed the notoriously difficult New York state bar examination. She then worked as a volunteer attorney at the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a federal agency which addresses discrimination in labour practices. At present, Abigail is working for Blaqwell, a specialist management consultancy focused on the legal industry, based in Manhattan. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband Simon Marcus.

Abigail Marcus2010 FirstRand Assistance bursary

MA in Law, New York University

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FirstRand Laurie Dippenaar Scholarship for Postgraduate International Study

2014 FirstRand Laurie Dippenaar Scholarship for Postgraduate International StudyApplications open Friday 3 January 2014 and close on Friday 28 February 2014. For details and the application form go to www.firstrand.co.za

Applications open 3 January 2014and close 28 February 2014

2014 firstrand firstrand laurie dippenaar scholarship for ... · 2013 firstrand laurie dippenaar...

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