UCT salutes cream of its student leadership crop

They may be young, but the student leaders singled out at the annual UCT Student Leadership Awards Ceremony on 20 October have made their marks early. Their résumés made for impressive reading at the event, hosted by the Department: Student Affairs (DSA).

Busy bee: The vice-chancellor, Dr Max Price, presents his student leadership award to the many-talented Simon Mendelsohn.	Quality leadership: Amanda Ngwenya receives her award from Moonira Khan, executive director of the DSA.

The winners were:

• The Vice Chancellor's Student Leader Award '“ Simon Mendelsohn, 2011 president of the Students' Health and Welfare Centres Organisation (SHAWCO). In addition to a superior academic record, invitations to and awards from a clutch of conferences, and his work with SHAWCO, Mendelsohn is also a member of the organising committee for the 2012 People's Health Movement's People's Health Assembly, and started the Faculty of Health Sciences' Inter-societies Forum. And somehow he's made time for the Mountain and Ski Club, the UCT Surgical Society, the Faculty of Health Sciences Student Mentoring Programme, and the UCT Ballroom Dancing Society.
• Deputy Vice-Chancellor's Student Leader Award '“ Kumbirai Gundani, 2011 chairperson of the Student Assembly. Among his many achievements over the year, Gundani took part in the World Economic Forum for Africa as a youth delegate and speaker, ran seven marathons to raise awareness for SHAWCO, chaired the Smuts Hall Alumni Association and served on the Commerce Students' Council.
• The Award for the Most Outstanding Student Leader in Community Service '“ Jacqui Watson, chairperson of Ubunye, a community development project targeted at high-school learners. She was also involved in a string of other projects, including TeachOut, Axium Education and the Media School. Watson was also awarded an Allan Gray Fellowship, and attended the Talloires Network Leaders Conference in Spain.
• The Awards for the Most Outstanding Student Leader in Media '“ Nyasha Kadandara, editor of UCT's Varsity student newspaper. Kadandara was hailed for her roles as mentor, tutor, orientation leader and delegate at the Young Women in Finance national conference. She was also honoured for organised the first National Student Media Conference, where delegates discussed the role of student media in South Africa.
• The Award for the Most Outstanding Student Leader in a Postgraduate Faculty Council '“ Tapiwa Tevera, chairperson of the Engineering & the Built Environment Postgraduate Students' Council. Tevera has served in a number of leadership roles for residents and societies, and is a twice winner of the Ackerman Family Foundation Leadership Award.
• The Awards for the Most Outstanding Student Leader in a Society or Student Organisation '“ Ali Kiyaei, multi-award and -scholarship winner and organiser of the Model United Nations conference for schools in Cape Town in 2011; and Ann-Maree Tippoo, student director of the ABSA Capital Pioneering Young Women Conference and project manager for the Young Women Engaging World Markets.
• The Awards for the Most Outstanding Student Leader in an Undergraduate Faculty Council '“ Vuyane Mhlomi, chairperson of the Health Sciences' Faculty Council. Mhlomi has been involved in his faculty for three years as a mentor, was a member of various societies, and served on the faculty council, in addition to a range of residence roles.
• The Executive Director: Student Affairs' Student Leader Awards '“ Kathleen Taylor, vice-president: internal of the 2010/2011 Students' Representative Council (SRC), who organised an array of SRC programmes and projects; and Amanda Ngwenya, president of the 2010/2011 SRC, and who served on a number of student groups in addition to her SRC duties.
• Team of the Year '“ Ikey Tigers, who won the Varsity Cup and the Western Province Super League A, and beat Stellenbosch University in the annual rugby Intervarsity, for the first time in seven years. Off the field they have been equally "inspirational", renovating the Sisters home for abused women and children, running a coaching clinic and drumming up support for Green Week.
• In addition, the Abe Bailey Travel Bursary was made to Ann-Maree Tippoo; Erik De Ridder, Dinika Govender, Pumeza Losi, Wandile Mamba, Mangaka Meso, Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh and Tess Peacock were named for the South Africa Washington Internship Programme; Jessica Price and Vuyane Mhlomi shared the Kerry Capstick-Dale Memorial Scholarship; and Mhlomi also received the Ackerman Family Foundation Award, his third award for the evening.
• And finally, the DSA made a Special Recognition Award to long-serving staffer Bonita 'Bonnie' Malone, for her 25 years' service to the SRC and student leadership at UCT.