“Be brave, be bold, be the change you want to see in the world and live to inspire because you never know who is watching.” These are the sentiments of Nqobile Gama, the first African student in the history of UJ to graduate cum laude in BCom Honours Sports Management.
She graduated on Monday, 1 June 2015.
Gama, an ambitious young lady from Diepkloof, Soweto, comes from a family of graduates. As a result, the 23-year-old graduate has never been short of inspiration. From a tender age, Gama aspired towards attaining excellence; in her secondary education, she began to illustrate promising signs of a prosperous future. She attended Holy Family College in Parktown, Johannesburg, from Grade 2 – 12. Gama excelled, she was the School’s Deputy Head Girl and achieved an Honours blazer.
Gama is a sports enthusiast. She says the choice to study Sports Management came naturally. She tried a variety of sports, but none has ever compared to her first love, Basketball, which she played for UJ during her undergraduate years.
Gama asserts that the main reason for choosing to study Sports Management is her desire to spur on change in the realm of South African sport. “The driving force for choosing this qualification was that there are very few women who are in decision making positions in SA Sports, and this is where I see myself, making a change in women ‘sport in and representation in leadership thereof,” she says.
The Honours graduate is a Marketing Coordinator for UJ Sport and has applied to do her Master’s degree in 2016. She also hopes to stablish herself as an academic. “I wish to further my education in Sports Management at I believe this is a great platform for building myself to make a meaningful contribution to Sport in SA.”
Gama says the duration of her studies has taught her many principles about life. She says: “Education is truly the key to a better future not only for myself, but for South Africans as well.”
Gama says she is grateful for the quality of education she has obtained from UJ. “The education I’ve received at UJ is relevant as it tackles current affairs and equips us with the tools required for the ‘real-world. It is of a high standard because of the lecturers and specifically the practical experience we received throughout the course.”
