Nwabisa Takata from South Africa is a PhD Candidate in Chemistry at the University of Johannesburg, working in collaboration with the National Metrology Institute of South Africa. She holds Honors degrees in both Chemistry and Geology, as well as a Master’s degree in Chemistry from the University of Fort Hare in South Africa.
Nwabisa has also been the recipient of the Mining Qualifications Authority full bursary, Sasol bursaries, a National Research Foundation Scholarship and a National Metrology Institute of South Africa PhD Scholarship.
After obtaining her Master’s degree, she worked as a science communicator with the South African Agency of Science and Technology. Her primary responsibilities were facilitating skills workshops, career exhibitions, tutoring, and mentoring learners from a young age. She also worked as a research scientist at the National Metrology of South Africa, focusing on metrology (the science of measurement) as it applies to Chemistry.
Nwabisa is actively involved in community upliftment programs and has partnered in several projects focusing on education and sport. She decided to join the Africademics Scholarship Ambassador Programme because she grew up in rural parts of South Africa and has first-hand experience with the consequences of extreme poverty. Having had the opportunity to get a formal education has taken her out of dire situations and made her life much better. She believes that she could have never made it this far without the scholarships and bursaries she managed to secure through being lucky enough to have received information about them. She knows this is not the case for most other people in her situation, she would therefore like to assist others in securing scholarships to get an education, as she believes that education means hope.
In 10 years’ time, Nwabisa aims to have finished her PhD, do technical short courses, affiliate with relevant governing bodies in her field, be well published, and do an MBA. She would also like to move into the mining sector and assume a senior position there.
Welcome to the Africademics Ambassador Programme, Nwabisa!
The Scholarship Ambassador Programme
Through the Scholarship Ambassador Programme Africademics trains volunteers from across Africa to become scholarship advisors and mentors. Ambassadors complete a 4-month online course with virtual lectures, case studies and additional activities. Once they have successfully graduated, our Scholarship Ambassadors offer personal support, advice and mentorship for scholarship seekers and applicants in and from Africa.
Our 2022 Ambassador cohort started their training in April 2022 and we are thrilled to have over 90 students and scholars from across the African continent on board this year. In 2021, we welcomed our first cohort of 30 Scholarship Ambassadors who completed their training in November 2021. They now offer free scholarship consultations, mentorship and application assistance for scholarship seekers in and from Africa on a regular basis.
Meet our team of Scholarship Ambassadors here and let us know via our contact form if you would like to book a personal consultation with one of them!
