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Student awarded prestigious Mandela Rhodes Scholarship

19 November 2008

Unnel-Teddy Ngoumandjoka

Monash South Africa Information Technology student Unnel-Teddy Ngoumandjoka is one of 30 students awarded a prestigious Mandela Rhodes Scholarship for 2009.

The Mandela Rhodes Scholarship honours the legacy of leadership and reconciliation embodied by Nelson Mandela, and the legacy of education and entrepreneurship of Cecil Johan Rhodes.

It is awarded to African students who demonstrate scholastic, intellectual and leadership potential. Mr Ngoumandjoka, who is from Libreville, Gabon, is a final year student at the MSA School of Information Technology. He is studying a double major in Computing and Business Systems and plans to undertake a Bachelor of Computing (Honours) program next year.

During his first two years in South Africa he received a Gabon Government bursary and attended an English language school in Johannesburg, before completing the foundation program at Monash South Africa. His excellent academic results saw him awarded a Monash Scholarship to undertake an undergraduate degree.

Mr Ngoumandjoka said he felt privileged and honoured to be the recipient of the Mandela Rhodes scholarship.

"I realise that it will open up lots of new opportunities for me," Mr Ngoumandjoka said.

"I have committed myself to furthering my education because I realise that a good leader needs a strong educational background.

"Since I was in high school I have dreamt of a united African continent.

"In the future I hope to be in a managerial or leadership role, and receiving this scholarship has made me even more determined to work towards making a positive contribution to a way forward for the African continent."

MSA Deputy Pro-Vice Chancellor (Research) Professor Dina Burger congratulated Unnel-Teddy on his achievement.

"We are very proud and thrilled that one of our students has been awarded this scholarship," Professor Burger said.

"We hope that many more Monash South Africa students, who share the vision of the Mandela Rhodes Foundation, will be awarded this scholarship in the years ahead."

The recipients of the Mandela Rhodes scholarships receive in-residence leadership and mentoring programs as part of their scholarship.