On Saturday 26 February Samsung held an innovation-packed student-interaction day for its Empowering Tomorrow Bursary Recipients at Design Quarter in Johannesburg. The 54 students, who have already commenced with their weekday classes, were invited to participate in a day designed for them to interact with Samsung’s team and enjoy an insider’s view into the technology that is inspiring a new generation of pioneers. Samsung’s multi-million-rand bursary programme continues to support many learners across the country on their ongoing quest to create qualified professionals, who can become a valued part of the South African economy.
“It was immensely rewarding to welcome and interact with these talented students. As very-deserving recipients of our Empowering Tomorrow Bursary Programme, we wanted to ensure they felt welcomed into the Samsung family. Samsung’s product leads, from mobile to home appliances shared valuable insights into our approach to product design, local research and development as well as our commitment to sustainable solutions for a brighter future. Speaking to the students, we in turn received illuminating insights into their thinking and their unique perspectives on how technology can enhance the lives of people in their own communities,” said Hlubi Shivanda, Director: Business Innovation Group and Corporate Affairs at Samsung South Africa.
Samsung works with CareerWise, the bursary management company that sources, screens and shortlists financially-deserving students from universities within South Africa, who are academically strong. This year Samsung allocated almost R8-million to the initiative, building on its ongoing multi-million-rand yearly investment since 2018. Once the bursary students are selected, Samsung commits to providing financial aid right through to completion at Honours level. It’s for this reason that the company aims to build an enduring relationship with students, the most-talented of which will be in strong contention to join the Samsung South Africa team themselves.
Dimakatso Moagi, a law student at North-West University, remarking on the Empowering Tomorrow Bursary, said: “I feel very happy and grateful for the opportunity offered by Samsung. This came at a time where I needed it the most. I now have the reassurance that hard work really does pay off.”
Kashveer Sewjalal, who is completing a BCom in Information Management at the University of Johannesburg, expressed his sense of gratitude and renewed purpose, “I feel truly blessed to have Samsung on my journey towards achieving my dreams, and feel honoured to be recognised as a young achiever. The support they provide motivates me to do the very best I can in every aspect of my life.”
South Africa’s youth face a multitude of socio-economic challenges such as; high unemployment rates, poverty, and a lack of access to basic services, to name a few. Many of the students on the Samsung Empowering Tomorrow Bursary Programme come from homes where both parents are unemployed and from families where they are the first or the only individual to have the opportunity to attend University. There are many who qualify who do not have the financial means to see their studies to the end. This is where Samsung has stepped in and has made the commitment to see them through to the end of their tertiary journey.
“It’s through this level of support that our country’s youth can be a major driver of immense transformational change in the South African economy,” concluded Shivanda.