Durban University of Technology’s 2016 Microsoft Student Partner (MSP), Gomolemo Mohapi, will be flying on 14 July 2017 after being selected by the United States embassy to study in the United States of America until May 2018.

Gomolemo became an MSP in March last year during his first year as an Information Technology student. He said he read about the programme on a poster provided by DUT and because of his fascination with computers, he instantly got interested.

“I’m really passionate about computers and I have been doing IT since Grade 10 so when I saw the poster I went to the department for more information,” he said.

MSP is a programme by Microsoft spanning from more than 100 countries across different regions, selected MSP’s become technology leaders in their communities and campuses and are entrusted with the responsibility of sharing the exclusive knowledge gained from the programme with their peers.

Gomolemo said during his application to Microsoft he was asked to submit a one-page motivation along with an App he had created. He submitted the essay and his App called “Guesstheword”.

“It’s basically a game and when a player logs in, is given 3 chances to guess a word from the clues given and from there the score is saved in the game’s database for other players to see and hopefully beat,” he said.
The 20 -year-old whose family hails from Bloemfontein, said his family is very supportive and proud of his achievements, adding that his father, a DUT Biomedical and Clinical senior lecturer, Dr Mogapi J Mohapi, cannot stop bragging about his proud son.

“It was a normal expectation for me to see him achieve. It’s a proud moment for DUT, the IT department and for him being an exemplary role model to other students. He is aspiring others with his positive energy to achieve the same way he has,” said the jubilant dad.

Gomolemo said his selection by the US embassy to study in the USA came after the embassy had approached DUT about study opportunities for students in different fields. The department shared the information with the students for which he applied and was eventually selected.

“I’m going there to study software development and computer science for a year and come back the following year to finish my diploma here. I hope to gain enough skills so I can help other South Africans hone their skills and live a better life through technology. However, in time I would also like to become a senior developer in Microsoft, Google or perhaps Cisco,” he said.

Mr Sameer Sabjee from the DUT IT department said that Gomolemo Mohapi is a remarkable student who has shown his potential from his first year at DUT. “He has been involved in numerous IT related events, helping students learn new technology and assisting his peers with additional tutorials to help them achieve good results. We at the IT department wish him well on his new adventure,” he said.

Pictured: Gomolemo Mohapi from the IT Department, recipient of the MSP.

Bongani Gema