For the second time in a row, Mpilo Tatana obtained the prestigious Dean’s Merit Award for academic excellence for his Bachelor of Engineering Technology Honours in Electronic Engineering at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) 2024 Autumn Graduation ceremony at the Olive Convention Centre this morning (Monday, 20 May 2024).
Tatana (25) from Clermont, Durban was ecstatic to have maintained the high academic standard he had set for himself.
“Graduating with a Dean’s Merit Award once again makes me very happy, as it proves that all the hard work does eventually pay off. I couldn’t be happier to be achieving this for the second time in a row,” shared Tatana in excitement.
He started studying at DUT in 2020 after enrolling for his Bachelor of Engineering Technology in Electronic Engineering. He did not let the outbreak of COVID-19 and studying online deter him from achieving his academic goals. In 2022, he graduated Cum Laude with a Dean’s Merit Award for his B. ENG Technology. This motivated him to enrol for his Honours in the same field in 2023 and work hard to ensure that he retains the same academic standard. Tatana is currently enrolled for his Master’s degree and hopes that his research will have a positive impact in the society.
“I aim to continue doing research whether professionally or as a hobby, it does not really matter to me. I just feel like there exists great opportunity for new technologies with the rise of AI just like with the rise of the internet which helped create a lot of tech entrepreneurs. I don’t want to miss my opportunity to do and be something great,” said Tatana.
Sharing insight on his academic journey, Tatana said: “ The first few years of my studies were touch due to the COVID-19 lockdowns during 2020-2021, but luckily, we were able to come to campus for practicals which was important. It meant that we got a chance to better understand the material we were learning and secondly meant that as students we weren’t total strangers to ourselves or lecturers,” he said
Like most students, he mentioned that he also faced the issue of outstanding fees during his B.Eng Technology studies. Tatana recalled how he almost didn’t register for his second year in 2021 due to the issue of fees, but lucky I was awarded a fee remission for my first year (2020) of study.
“I continued to receive this fee remission in my remaining years of study as well. I also received a bursary in my reasons why I could pass so well during my B.Eng Tech years was that I would ask those that were ahead of me in terms of the level of study, for past study materials and notes and would practice the material the year before I started the module along with whatever modules I was currently doing,” said Tanana, sharing tips on academic excellence.
However, with the Honours programme, he mentioned he could not use his techniques as he was a new programmer and he had no past papers to rely on. He realised that he was the one who was going to be sharing the past papers to other students, he preserved and made it through.
Speaking on his passion for Engineering, Tatana said he always wanted to do Engineering, but he never knew which one though.
“The idea of being part of the select few groups of people who get to build the world and engineer solutions to all its problems attracted me to the field, and the fact that creativity is rewarded makes it extra special. I only fell in love with electronic engineering once I started studying it, only then did I truly appreciate the wonder of the field and how it intertwines with all aspects of daily life,” explained Tatana.
Besides focusing on his academics at DUT, Tatana is also a Vice-President of the DUT Chapter of the Golden Key International Honour Society, which he joined in 2022. Last year, he won second place (Gold) for his poster presentation during the Faculty Research Day for the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment.
Pictured: Mpilo Tatana.
Photographer: Mnqobi Ngobese.
Simangele Zuma
