Stanford University award for KZN student
A FORMER Kearsney head boy has been awarded a prestigious academic honour for achieving in the top 10% at one of the world’s leading universities.
Monde Nkosi was named an Arjay Miller Scholar at the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University in the US at the weekend, becoming the first black South African to receive the honour.
The 27-year-old from Kloof achieved this while studying a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Arts in Education simultaneously.
“I applied to Harvard and Stanford and was fortunately accepted at both, but chose Stanford because they allowed me to do both degrees at the same time. I spent a lot of time on my bike between the business and education campuses. Being an Arjay Miller Scholar is a reminder for me to always aim high,” said Nkosi.
A top achiever throughout his schooling, Nkosi was the recipient of a scholarship at Kearsney.
“That was thanks to an old boy who decided to start a scholarship to help others get an education. I have received a lot of help along the way, through scholarships in high school and university, and great mentorship throughout the journey,” he said.
This and his family’s influence cemented his desire to work in education.
“My gran was a teacher and my mom dedicated her life to education; she started a school in rural Jozini. Although progress has been made, the problems my gran and mom worked on are yet to be solved.
Across sub-Saharan Africa there are far more people finishing secondary school than there are slots in universities, and it is clear from government budgets this gap cannot be filled by governments alone. I want to work to expand higher education access through high quality private institutions,” said Nkosi.
Now working in San Francisco for an investment firm, Nkosi ultimately wants to run a network of higher education institutions as he believes education opens doors, not only for material gain in terms of access to better jobs, but also for personal health and fulfilment.
After completing a Bachelor of Business Science at UCT in 2011, Nkosi worked at a leading strategy consultancy, working mainly in South Africa, Zambia, Ghana and the Ivory Coast. The experience of school leavers in these countries helped confirm his decision to pursue a degree in education.
“My mother is my role model, but my daughter is my motivation, I hope to set an example that she can follow. The quality of higher education institutions in sub-Saharan Africa is going to affect her so I am working hard to make sure she has the opportunity to go to world-class universities without having to leave the continent,” he said.
Besides the founders of the scholarships which got him through high school, university and Stanford, and mentors, Nkosi counts his wife Nyaki, his parents Phillip and Nomsa, and older sisters Zee, Ayanda and Zanele as his biggest support.