Scholarships for outstanding students

THE University of KwaZulu-Natal has honoured outstanding student achievers with prestigious scholarships.

- TASCHICA PILLAY

Awards were given to students who excelled academically, demonstrated strong community engagement, and distinguished themselves as leaders, as well as excelled on the sporting field, earning provincial and national honours.

Among the recipients were Master of Science student, Saarisha Govender, Bachelor of Business Science in Investment Science student, Yadiel Chatterpersad, third-year Bachelor of Laws (LLB) student, Bianca Lee Govender and Mechanical Engineering student, Dhruv Heeralal.

Saarisha was awarded the Vincent Maphai Scholarship for being the top-ranked master's student at UKZN.

Saarisha, 22, from Queensburgh, said the rewards from the scholarship will support her research in Quantum Machine Learning (QML) and her path to her PhD.

She said it was humbling and motivating, adding that it would enable her to focus fully on her studies without added financial pressure.

“I was surprised to get this scholarship. The generosity of the sponsors has changed my life, and I am determined not to take it for granted.

“I have always been passionate about physics and astronomy. My love for mathematics has helped shape my academic journey,” she said.

In 2023, Saarisha received the 100th Anniversary scholarship for being the third-placed undergraduate student in the entire university, and last year was awarded the Zac Yacoob Scholarship for the best honours student.

Her undergraduate studies focused on Astrophysics and in her honours’ year Govender was introduced to Quantum Machine Learning (QML) and Quantum Computing.