R150 000 BURSARY FOR A CHALLENGE WELL ACCEPTED!
19 year old Samantha Deodutt won the Varsity College Challenge Accepted competition - a bursary valued at R150 000 to use towards her tertiary tuition. Samantha has registered to study The IIE (Independent Institute of Education) BCOM Law at Varsity College Durban North. “I love this field and have a desire to open my own law firm one day once I have gained enough experience. For now I just want to study hard towards my qualification,” says Samantha.
Varsity College Challenge Accepted is a web-based competition that ran from June 2014 to January 2015. Current and prospective tertiary students were invited to enter and to take part in a number of challenges that ranged from easy to difficult. “Eat a meal with no hands” and “go to your nearest library dressed in gym clothes, find two heavy books and do arm curls” were just two of the many challenges that entrants had to complete.
Entrants were asked to film the execution of each challenge and then upload the video on the competition’s online portal. Each challenge was assigned points according to how easy or difficult it was. By the end of the challenge Samantha had accumulated 14 070 points. Over 2300 people entered the competition.
“When I received the call to say that I had won I went through so many emotions including shock and excitement. I’m still in shock today. My parents are so thrilled about me winning the grand prize. I was with my mom when I got the news and she just cried as she was too overwhelmed,” says Samantha.
Digital Communications Manager at Varsity College, Mishqah Paruk said, “While we’re very proud of academic achievements at Varsity College, we believe that all students should lead a balanced life. We encourage all our students to engage in community upliftment activities, sport and other social events. Challenge Accepted gave students the opportunity to win a bursary for more than just academics. Entrants were pushed to the limits and had to do some very silly things in the process. At the end of it the most determined person won. We wish Samantha all the best with her studies.”