UCT master’s student in line for a global McCall MacBain Scholarship award

Rutendo Nyaku, a University of Cape Town (UCT) master’s student, is among 37 international finalists from around the world and the first from a South African university for the McCall MacBain Scholarship, Canada’s largest leadership-based scholarships programme for master’s and professional studies.

With her travel costs covered by the programme, Nyaku is preparing for her inaugural trip to a frosty Canada in the upcoming days, where she will participate in the final scholarship interviews. She is currently completing her master’s degree in justice and transformation, an interdisciplinary specialisation, at UCT while also completing a Machel-Mandela fellowship with The Brenthurst Foundation.

“It is an exciting honour to be a finalist. Not only for myself but as a beacon of hope for my family and my community,” said Nyaku. “My university experience helped me clarify my goals by exposing me to people of diverse backgrounds. As a foreign student, I also experienced my life from a different and challenging perspective – an opportunity that has been incredibly important to help me tackle opportunities beyond my comfort zone.”

Designed to encourage purposeful leadership, the scholarships enable students to pursue a fully funded master’s or professional degree at McGill University while participating in mentorship, coaching and a leadership development programme.

“I want to focus on ensuring greater protections for displaced persons and immigrants who find themselves in grey legal areas in foreign countries.”

Nyaku plans to study law at McGill, ranked as the 30th best university in the world by the QS World University Rankings 2024, if she is awarded one of the scholarships.

“I want to focus on ensuring greater protections for displaced persons and immigrants who find themselves in grey legal areas in foreign countries. My mission is to practice as a legal professional that seeks to encourage integration and that values the lives of all people – rich, poor, foreign or otherwise.”

Home and away

Compelled by her experience of growing up around persistent conflict and insecurity in her home country of Zimbabwe, Nyaku’s master’s research is part of a life-long pursuit to understand and examine the causes of conflict around the world.

“The African continent has come a long way from the horrors of the late 1980s. But there is still a lot of work to do to overcome legacies of violence and inequality and to strengthen the foundations created by dedicated people from the past and the present,” she said.

In addition to challenges like conflict, democratic backsliding, security and justice, climate change has emerged as a significant threat to Africa’s economic prospects, ecosystems, and livelihoods. Despite these challenges, Nyaku is expectant that with compassion, discipline, and the will to learn from past mistakes, the continent has a fighting chance.

A cohort of up to 30 McCall MacBain Scholars will be selected after final interviews. International finalists who are not selected will be eligible to receive a monetary finalist award.

Her research interests have exposed her to spaces that have added to her colourful resume, including serving in various roles across different organisations. Nyaku works part-time as a project administrator for the African Transitional Justice Research Network and previously helped coordinate the Global Media Index for Africa project, coding hundreds of news articles. She also helped organise a running group, interned with the United Nations Development Program, and volunteered at a student café during her exchange term at the University of Copenhagen.

Encouraging positive leadership

The scholarships are the result of a landmark C$200 million (approximately R2.7 billion) gift in 2019 by John and Marcy McCall MacBain, then the largest single donation in Canadian history. Students and graduates of more than 2 250 universities applied for the scholarships, and 277 participated in a first round of regional interviews in October and November.

“Integrity, kindness, curiosity, and courage are the characteristics we want to see in the next generation of leaders.”

Each finalist was chosen based on their character, community engagement, leadership potential, entrepreneurial spirit, academic strength, and intellectual curiosity.

“Integrity, kindness, curiosity, and courage are the characteristics we want to see in the next generation of leaders,” said Dr Marcy McCall MacBain, the chair of the McCall MacBain Scholarships at McGill. “By connecting emerging talent to an outstanding graduate education and a community of peers and mentors, we hope to encourage positive leadership for Montréal, Quebec, Canada, and the world.”

“More than 300 senior volunteer leaders were involved in selecting this year’s finalists,” said Natasha Sawh, the chief executive officer of the McCall MacBain Scholarships at McGill. “Our team is very much looking forward to welcoming the finalists – who have already distinguished themselves as the top candidates globally – to Montréal in March. We extend our warmest thanks to the universities that nominated them for this opportunity.”

Applications will open in June 2024 for the 2025 cohort. In addition to the 30 fully funded McCall MacBain Scholarships each year, up to 100 additional monetary awards are offered to candidates. More information about the McCall MacBain Scholarships can be found on their website.