Dr Ritu Bhagwandeen

MSTE Departmental Manager, Bloemfontein

While the trending stereotype is that people in science are nerdy beings that lack artistic interest, CUT Welkom’s Dr Ritu Bhagwandeen has gone against the myths to enjoy life in its lengths and breadths. She says in addition to cooking and gardening, she loves listening to Indian music and has a passion for various forms of classical and folk dances. Professionally, Dr Bhagwandeen inhales and exhales science and maths. Currently, she is CUT Welkom’s Departmental Manager for MSTE education and lectures chemistry to undergraduate, preservice teachers, as well as supervising master’s and doctoral candidates. Dr Bhagwandeen, who joined CUT in 2011, regards the institution’s offer as the best out of the three she had received, and has since stayed with the university for more than 10 years. Being a woman to her means an inherent grace to bring everyone on board as she rises. “My biggest strength is that I am a woman who is confident, resilient, and God fearing! Being able to handle stress, taking ownership and accountability of my actions helps me to be proud of myself. Being a woman, one could accommodate a broader community, staff and students and at the same time walk with those falling behind,” states the 52 years old scholar who holds an M.phil, MSC as well as PHD, among others.