Claudia Brown

Claudia Brown is an admissions officer at Cornerstone Institute and a registered counsellor with the HPCSA. She is 27 years old and completed her undergraduate degree in Pyshcology at Cornerstone in 2019. Thereafter she applied for the BPsych Equivalent Honours programme in Psychology. She has strong values that she believes have always aligned with the values Cornerstone has instilled in her as an employee and a student. She believes in integrity, community, kindness, respect and honouring others with love.

Melissa Sparrow

Melissa is the Deputy Student Recruitment Lead and Helpdesk Coordinator at Cornerstone Institute. She completed her undergraduate in Psychology at Helderberg College, and went on to do her Honours in Psychology and Masters in Research Psychology at Stellenbosch University. During this time, she was very involved in the student community, working towards creating a fairer and more just society for students and workers of the university through her activism and research. Her Master’s Thesis focused on Queer women in tertiary institutions with a focus on identity and queerphobia. Melissa has pink hair, and loves bringing fun into both her work and into her academic life, sprinkling a bit of fun wherever she goes.

Elana van Zyl

Elana van Zyl is the Deputy Registrar: Certification and Registration at Cornerstone Institute. With more than 10 years in a similar role she brings a lot of experience to the table. Specializing in administration, critical analysis, and people skills, Elana uses that experience to the administration of registration, grade administration and certification, as well as team development. 

By focusing on a diverse range of tasks, Elana has been able to put the Bachelor in Psychology, Honours in Psychology, Postgraduate Diploma in Theology, Master in Theology and Postgraduate Certificate in Education they earned at Stellenbosch and Unisa, respectively to good use. The wide variety of work experience on different levels in various organisations enables Elana to work well with diverse cultures and to adapt well to change. Elana may spend their days at Cornerstone focusing mainly on administration, but it’s the development and wellness of staff that gets them up in the morning.

Serelda Swart

Serelda has been in the Learning & Development industry since 2000. Her career started as a Training Consultant for Accenture, evolved into an Instructional Designer at LRMG, and led her to start her own enterprise as a Blended Learning Solution Provider, in 2007. Her journey took her from development and facilitation of classroom-based learning to design and development of online learning, exposing her to varying learning needs and learning styles of a wide range of both private and public sector organisations. Her enthusiasm for facilitating the growth of others through learning cultivated a keen understanding for how people of different ages and backgrounds receive, process and retain new information that leads to change. To personal transformation. As Learning Specialist it is her hope to take the high-quality programmes on offer at Cornerstone, and mold it into learning experiences that ‘arm’ students to truly go out and “change the world.”

Marianne Louw

Dr Marianne Louw is the Acting Executive Dean of Faculty Operations and Quality Assurance at Cornerstone Institute.

With an academic specialisation in interpersonal leadership relations. Her academic career spans 18 years, including periods at IIE MSA, the University of Johannesburg and the Vaal Triangle University of Technology. She is the co-author of the first comprehensive South African textbook on interpersonal communication, Let’s talk about interpersonal communication, which saw its fifth edition in 2019. She has contributed to other textbooks on strategic organisational communication, persuasive communication, and research.

Marianne has also worked in the printed media sector and is a qualified business coach who has trained and coached corporate clients on leadership and communication.

Jabulani Chitanga

Jabulani Chitanga is a Researcher, Psychology Lecturer, Research Supervisor, small to medium-scale Farmer, and Project Manager (retail and hospitality industry). 

He is skilled in Quantitative Research, Qualitative Research, Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) analysis, Microsoft Excel data analysis for research, Module/Curriculum development, Moderation, Assessment development, Online teaching technologies, Microsoft Office, and farming (crops and animals). 

Jabulani graduated with a Bachelor of Science Honours in Psychology from the University of Zimbabwe, a Bachelor of Psychology Honours from Cornerstone Institute and a Master of Arts Research Psychology from the University of the Western Cape. 

He is currently a PhD—psychology candidate at UWC. Jabulani has had papers presented at the Psyssa conference and Monash University Australia. Above all, he loves people (mainly his wife and two children) and wants to make a difference in communities.

Nqobile Ndlovu

Nqobile Ndlovu is a skilled Information Specialist with experience in the academic library setting. She gained experience working at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (Howard College), Durban University of Technology and Scottburgh Memorial Public Library. 

Nqobile has a Bachelor’s degree in Library and Information Studies from the Durban University of Technology. Dedicated to assisting in information retrieval and research techniques. She is committed to promoting literacy by supporting educational initiatives using online platforms. 

Nqobile is an example of a human search engine that possesses extensive knowledge about materials (both physical and online), research databases, circulation, and other aspects of archiving. In addition, she is experienced in working with and supervising academic staff and supporting library operations.

Jacqui Nzuwa

Jacqui Nzuwa has had a longstanding relationship with Cornerstone Institute, most recently having completed her B-psych Equivalent practicum with the SDS Department, where she served as a Student Registered Counsellor in 2021, after which she became a fully Registered Counsellor with the HPCSA. Jacqui previously served as an Academic Support Officer in the SDS department while completing her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology at Cornerstone.

Jacqui is passionate about helping people overcome obstacles and challenges in their lives. Currently, she is using her experience as a student of Cornerstone to enrich her capacity as Student Support Officer for Student Development & Support. Her main aim in this role is to provide holistic support and development opportunities to all students. Her role includes offering general advising, academic support, individual counselling, group counselling, and workshops, amongst other initiatives.

Mthokozisi Ndlovu

Mthokozisi Ndlovu graduated from the Durban University of Technology in Library and Information Studies in 2019. Before working at Cornerstone, she was part of the National Library of South Africa for over a year, working on the GRAP 103 project for national heritage preservation of books and manuscripts. Previously she has also worked at the University of Zululand and Esikhaleni Public Library as a Library Assistant.

Stephen Langtry

Stephen Langtry has experience in the public service, education and not-for-profit sectors. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Cape Town and is currently completing his Master of Arts in Creative Writing at the same institution.

Natalie Adams-Adonis

Natalie Adams-Adonis comes from Cape Town, South Africa and is a senior lecturer in the Psychology Department at Cornerstone Institute. She is currently doing her PhD in the Faculty of Community and Health Sciences at the University of the Western Cape, with a research focus on intervention mapping for mothers in resource constrained contexts. 

Natalie completed her Masters in Psychological Research at UCT and her training includes in depth interviewing, programme evaluation and monitoring, gender in research analysis and design, research methods and statistics. Natalie’s research interests include perinatal development, maternal mental health, children, education, continuous trauma, community social justice and poverty. Natalie lectures both undergraduate and postgraduate modules. She is a registered practitioner with the Health Professions Council of South Africa and runs a small private practise.

Serahni Symington

Serahni started her studies at the University of Stellenbosch with a BA degree, majoring in psychology and language. She completed her Honours degree in Psychology thereafter, and started teaching while doing a Post Graduate Certificate in Senior Phase Education. She was awarded cum laude for her Masters degree, and was accepted into the PhD Psychology programme at North West University in 2010. She registered with the HPCSA in 2013 as a trauma counsellor.

Currently she is a registered counselor with HPCSA under the Psychology Board. She enjoys working from a Gestalt Perspective, but works holistically with people from all walks of live. She lectures part time and facilitates modules in Family Counselling, and supervises counsellors in training. She has regular guest appearances on RadioTygerberg and also writes a marriage and parenting blog for Finesse magazine.

Leo Mapira

Leo Mapira is a development sociologist passionate about engaged scholarship and applied research. Leo’s areas of expertise include industrial development, community development and industrial/labour relations. Before joining Cornerstone Institute, he served in various capacities, including Tutor, Lecturer, Researcher and Academic Advisor. 

Leo has a demonstrated history of working in the higher education sector. He is skilled in teaching and facilitating courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, mentoring aspiring students, research, report writing and publishing, training facilitation, programme monitoring and evaluation, policy analysis, and academic management. 

He received his Master’s qualification and PhD in Industrial Sociology from the University of Cape Town. When not teaching, researching and studying, Leo practices playing the Mbira or better known as the African thumb piano.

Dr Martin Khoaseb

Dr Khoaseb has over 17 years of teaching experience in both basic and higher education institutions. He has an Honours and Masters degree and a PhD in Theology and is committed to the alleviation of social and structural injustices and causes of human degradation.

Taryn Little

ABOUT THE COURSE PRESENTER: TARYN LITTLE
After years of searching for my purpose and finding myself in spaces that were not ordained for me, I vowed to never again work in an area that does not reflect my true passion and calling. My own story of pain and brokenness has driven my desire to become a product of my purpose and not my pain . To see opportunity, not obstacles in times of crisis. My life and life’s work is an unrelenting mission to help my fellow human beings make sense of their own pain so that they may thrive and not merely survive. There is a difference.

I believe that academic qualifications and hard skills are not sufficient, and that individuals and organizations need to engage in personal transformation in order to reach their fullest potential in the areas of positive emotions, positive relationships, positive accomplishments, positive meaning and positive engagement. Transformation needs to focus on unlearning thoughts, emotions and behaviours that hurt self and others. When the individual is transformed so too is the world transformed, and in my personal experience transformation needs to occur from the inside out if one is to see effective long lasting results.

My Bachelor of Theology: in Community Leadership: Psychology and Bachelor of Arts (Honor’s): Psychology degrees speaks to my passion to integrate my love for Psychology and Theology. I have my heart set on a Masters in Practical Theology: Clinical Pastorate. I believe in not living the same day twice and have been blessed to spend my days either lecturing, supervising fieldwork psychology students, presenting personal development workshops, writing, mental health Christian counselling and inspirational speaking. 1 Peter 4:10 reminds us to use whatever gifts we have received to serve others, and not to hide our talents as Matthew 5:16 instructs but to use them so that others may see our good work and glorify our heavenly Father. It is for this reason that I have included my performing ARTS gift as a teaching tool into my work. My desire is to see individuals access and live out all of the gifts and talents. I have a dream. A dream to be used as a vessel of transformation in the world.