Helping students transition into the world of work
HEAD clinical tutor at Jackpersad & Partners Inc, Yashodha Rajendra says her role at the practice enables her to interact with her students’ unique perceptions of life and fresh ideas.
“Every person holds equal importance and deserves to be mentioned. However, if that was possible, I would need the entire newspaper to write my story. I started my journey as a radiographer at City Hospital, and thereafter grew into the role of a venue manager. Owing to my passion for teaching, I am now a clinical tutor to some of the smartest and most energetic students that Durban University of Technology (DUT) has produced.
“The students we mentor have largely been protected by a schooling environment that has sheltered and spoon-fed them. However, university places them in an unfamiliar setting where they now have to become adults and deal with lecturers who do not spoon-feed and where drugs and alcohol are the norm.
“Being part of the clinical environment, they are exposed to people of different personalities with some kind and caring, while others are rude and obnoxious. Therefore, it is my role to assist these students with adjusting to this daunting environment by understanding their cultural backgrounds and academic and social needs.
“The majority of students come from different social backgrounds. Some have never seen a computer or have only spoken in isizulu, while some were given cellphones at an early age or sent to affluent schools.
“This difference in social standing makes it difficult for students to adapt and work together. Hence, it is my role to encourage students to accept each other and to allow each one to develop their own personality and become confident, regardless of their backgrounds. I enjoy this role as it allows me to interact with their unique perceptions of life and their fresh ideas. I am their tutor, mentor and sometimes mother.”