The University of the Western Cape (UWC) will have its Autumn graduation ceremonies from 14 to 21 April 2023 in the Jakes Gerwel Hall.
Here are a few success stories from the 2023 cohort of graduands:
After witnessing the death of a close friend in his arms, he dropped out of school in grade 11. That is where Jerome Samuels’ academic journey could have ended. But next week he will proudly walk across the stage at UWC to receive his PhD, which he started in 2017.
The husband and father of two was raised in the troubled area of Hanover Park. The 51-year-old worked as a trolley boy, a packer at Grand Bazaars, taxi-door operator and a general hand at Golden Arrow Bus Services.
After being retrenched from Golden Arrow, he finished high school and started working at the Department of Correctional Services. Today he is the Area Coordinator: Development and Care at the Goodwood Correctional Centre.
Samuels’ dissertation is titled: The Development of Guidelines to Enhance the Framework for the Management of Recidivism in the Department of Correctional Services in the Western Cape. Recidivism is when an offender, upon release of custody, relapses and commits a crime again. Samuels explained that recidivism in South Africa is an emerging science.
“The management of recidivism is, therefore, unclear, hence, this study is aimed to develop guidelines for the management of recidivism in the Department of Correctional Services in the Western Cape in South Africa,’’ he said.
LISTEN: SAMUELS' WINDING ROAD TO A PHD
Makgoba’s research is a contribution to established knowledge on the treatment of advanced Alzheimer’s Disease. He used computer-based methods to find a molecule that can stop the activity (or over activity) of two specific enzymes linked to the disease. One enzyme is believed to be key in the initiation and progression of Alzheimer's Disease and the other is thought to be involved in loss of memory.
He said his research started after a chat with his supervisor. “We sat down and said, let's try to inhibit two enzymes that are involved in the pathway (of Alzheimer's Disease) to try and identify a more effective approach to treatment,” said Makgoba, who received a National Research Foundation PhD Scholarship for 2023 to 2025.
His research contributes to the knowledge that single molecules with dual inhibitory capacity would exert the same effect as combination therapy while avoiding complications that arise due to combination therapy. In the advanced stage of Alzheimer’s Disease, combination therapy is the preferred treatment. Makgoba argued that computational drug design should be a first line approach, used to reduce the labour that comes with finding a dual inhibitor in Alzheimer’s research.
LISTEN: MAKGOBA ON HIS BREAKTHROUGH MASTER'S RESEARCH
Professor Jacques Joubert, who supervised the research project, said: “Thabo’s story is one of growth and development through hard work and dedication to his research. He has been able to learn and grow through the opportunities he took on without hesitation.”
He added: “During the national lockdown in 2020, Thabo was able to continue with advanced computational studies to further his research on Alzheimer’s and find new treatments using computers. When he gained access to UWC laboratories, as the pandemic allowed, Thabo validated his computational findings with biological testing of the new potential medicines he discovered during lockdown.”
A 24-year-old student has beaten the odds to cross the stage at the UWC Autumn Graduation.
Leigh-Vern Lamberts is an Industrial Psychology Honours graduand who has bipolar mood disorder, borderline personality disorder and social anxiety. It has been difficult, but she has refused to allow her mental health to get the better of her.
‘’I feel like I have been living two lives for the past nine years,” she explained.
Lamberts obtained her SA netball and athletics colours in high school and was a top achiever in the classroom. Despite coming across as a driven extrovert, she attempted suicide several times. But she considers herself “one of the lucky ones”. She has continued to thrive at UWC and is enrolled as a Master’s student with the ambition of pursuing her PhD. Lamberts wants to dispel the notion that people battling mental disorders cannot succeed academically.
LISTEN: LAMBERTS ON HER GRADUATION JOURNEY
Here are a few success stories from the 2023 cohort of graduands:
From Trolley Boy to Doctor of Philosophy
After witnessing the death of a close friend in his arms, he dropped out of school in grade 11. That is where Jerome Samuels’ academic journey could have ended. But next week he will proudly walk across the stage at UWC to receive his PhD, which he started in 2017.The husband and father of two was raised in the troubled area of Hanover Park. The 51-year-old worked as a trolley boy, a packer at Grand Bazaars, taxi-door operator and a general hand at Golden Arrow Bus Services.
After being retrenched from Golden Arrow, he finished high school and started working at the Department of Correctional Services. Today he is the Area Coordinator: Development and Care at the Goodwood Correctional Centre.
Samuels’ dissertation is titled: The Development of Guidelines to Enhance the Framework for the Management of Recidivism in the Department of Correctional Services in the Western Cape. Recidivism is when an offender, upon release of custody, relapses and commits a crime again. Samuels explained that recidivism in South Africa is an emerging science.
“The management of recidivism is, therefore, unclear, hence, this study is aimed to develop guidelines for the management of recidivism in the Department of Correctional Services in the Western Cape in South Africa,’’ he said.
LISTEN: SAMUELS' WINDING ROAD TO A PHD
UWC Student Conducts Breakthrough Research on Alzheimer’s Disease
Thabo Brighton Makgoba has conducted significant research during his time as a Pharmaceutical Sciences Master’s student at the UWC School of Pharmacy.Makgoba’s research is a contribution to established knowledge on the treatment of advanced Alzheimer’s Disease. He used computer-based methods to find a molecule that can stop the activity (or over activity) of two specific enzymes linked to the disease. One enzyme is believed to be key in the initiation and progression of Alzheimer's Disease and the other is thought to be involved in loss of memory.
He said his research started after a chat with his supervisor. “We sat down and said, let's try to inhibit two enzymes that are involved in the pathway (of Alzheimer's Disease) to try and identify a more effective approach to treatment,” said Makgoba, who received a National Research Foundation PhD Scholarship for 2023 to 2025.
His research contributes to the knowledge that single molecules with dual inhibitory capacity would exert the same effect as combination therapy while avoiding complications that arise due to combination therapy. In the advanced stage of Alzheimer’s Disease, combination therapy is the preferred treatment. Makgoba argued that computational drug design should be a first line approach, used to reduce the labour that comes with finding a dual inhibitor in Alzheimer’s research.
LISTEN: MAKGOBA ON HIS BREAKTHROUGH MASTER'S RESEARCH
Professor Jacques Joubert, who supervised the research project, said: “Thabo’s story is one of growth and development through hard work and dedication to his research. He has been able to learn and grow through the opportunities he took on without hesitation.”
He added: “During the national lockdown in 2020, Thabo was able to continue with advanced computational studies to further his research on Alzheimer’s and find new treatments using computers. When he gained access to UWC laboratories, as the pandemic allowed, Thabo validated his computational findings with biological testing of the new potential medicines he discovered during lockdown.”
Mental Disability not a Deterrent to Success
A 24-year-old student has beaten the odds to cross the stage at the UWC Autumn Graduation.Leigh-Vern Lamberts is an Industrial Psychology Honours graduand who has bipolar mood disorder, borderline personality disorder and social anxiety. It has been difficult, but she has refused to allow her mental health to get the better of her.
‘’I feel like I have been living two lives for the past nine years,” she explained.
Lamberts obtained her SA netball and athletics colours in high school and was a top achiever in the classroom. Despite coming across as a driven extrovert, she attempted suicide several times. But she considers herself “one of the lucky ones”. She has continued to thrive at UWC and is enrolled as a Master’s student with the ambition of pursuing her PhD. Lamberts wants to dispel the notion that people battling mental disorders cannot succeed academically.
LISTEN: LAMBERTS ON HER GRADUATION JOURNEY
