On the 7th of January 2015, 17 year old Zanele Mashele took the first step towards bettering her life when she registered as a tertiary student after being awarded a bursary to study at Varsity College by the current Miss World, Rolene Strauss.
Zanele has registered for the IIE Higher Certificate in Business Principles and Practice (HCBPP) course at the Cape Town campus.
Whilst in Grade 10, Zanele began attending extra classes at Ikamva Youth Centre to improve her results. As an excelling student of the Ikamva Youth Programme, she was chosen from a group of potential students to receive a bursary to Study at Varsity College.
The bursary is valued at R180 000 and will cover the cost of Zanele’s studies for the duration of her course.
One of her passions is giving back to the community by educating and encouraging others to attain their dreams and to be positive about life. During registration she also joined VC Cares, a student body aimed at helping those that are less fortunate.
“Varsity College became involved with the Miss SA pageant in order to make an authentic, significant and educational difference not only to the ladies involved in the pageant, but to the work that is carried out in the communities they serve,” says Kevin Johnson, National Stakeholder Manager at Varsity College.
Rob Collins, Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer of Sun International echoed the words of Kevin Johnson adding, “There is a great synergy between the Miss South Africa Pageant and Varsity College, whereby we proudly embrace the women of South Africa and realize the importance and necessity of education, with this partnership, we are able to create a unique platform for aspiring young women to further their careers.”
Varsity College, a brand of the IIE, is proud to support such a driven young woman as she embarks on this new chapter of her life.