PERSONAL PROFILE

Age: 21

Nationality: South African 

Home Language: IsiXhosa

Programme: BA majoring in Media Studies 

Start year: 2017

Previous School: Manyano High School

Local city: Khayelitsha, Cape Town

ABOUT STUDENT

My name is Yamkela Mkrweqane and I’m 20-year old I stay in Khayelitsha with three in-house family members my mother, step-father, and my little sister. I grew up in the Eastern Cape until I reached the age of 12 years when I was about to begin grade 8 I moved to Cape Town, in short, I studied my primary school in the Eastern Cape and my High school here in Cape Town. I was raised by my grandmother in the Eastern Cape, my blood parent was a Cape Town populate during the time, the main reason for this it is because she found me in a very young age.

During the Adolescence stage, I haven’t bounced to challenges until I reach the stage of being a childhood and the current stage that I’m in now which is early adulthood. This is when I began to detect that I’m living in a real life and my parents are trying by all means to make a living, first thing that I had noticed is the fact that they are facing financial problems, until I enrolled at Cornerstone Institute on 2017 but at least my mother was still working at that time, 2018 is the year she got dismissed at work. This can be concluded as the year that I don’t even know what to do with my tuition fees as for me for one in the amount outstanding at Cornerstone Institute.

I really need the support to pay my studies for I don’t see myself living without a degree mainly because I know the struggle of living without education, the fact that I stay in Khayelitsha made me realise many things as I’m near-sighted poverty each and every day. Secondly, my mother has only two children and I’m the first born meaning that I’m the one who is they looking to in my family. The actual fact is I’ve been always dreaming of being educated that is where I see my purpose in life, I could even give up my life if I could not obtain this degree, the reason for that is as follows, it will be clear to me where I would be going without a degree that I could even go in deep of Khayelitsha unrestricted.

I have chosen Bachelor of Art majoring in media studies for I always dream of being an online journalist. That I think would change the lifestyle that I’m currently living with my family, and I will probably be the first in my family to buy a car and make our lives easier. I will obtain this qualification and try to look for other ways to furthering more my education until I at least obtain a master’s degree. As for now I will accept and take with my two hands any opportunity that is right in front of me and willing to support my studies, for I trust that this degree will pave my way in education and also for my family’s success.

If I could grab the opportunity I could use it to the fullest until I succeed and change the world by giving back to the community and by opening more of opportunities for disadvantaged students to study so that they can also grab the opportunity and give it to others to change the world. In short, I could build a network of changing the world just imagine if every generation could do the same thing of changing the world how life would be, it would be full of unity, creativity, inclusivity, integrity, and excellence.