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Niekerk’s Path of Discovery enabled Her To Learn And Grow

Niekerk’s Path of Discovery enabled Her To Learn And Grow

“Achieving a Cum Laude is certainly one of my greatest accomplishments.  I worked hard to make this happen, although I couldn’t have done it without the support from the Consumer Science: Food and Nutrition department,” said an elated Jenna Van Niekerk.

The Pietermaritzburg lass obtained Cum Laude in her National Diploma in Consumer Science: Food and Nutrition, at the Fred Crookes Sports Centre on 08 May 2018.
Her inspiration came from her late mother who had passed away in 2012 from a chronic illness. She too had attended this University, previously known as Natal Technikon. “I made a promise to myself that I would make her proud – as I am proud to call her my other half. It’s been a path of discovery which has enabled me to continuously learn and grow within myself emotionally,” she said.

Her journey also involved what most students are familiar with – late nights and a continuous balancing act between her social life, health, sleep patterns and her bank account. Secondly, she set continuous goals, pushed her limits out of her comfort zone, and focused on her organisational and time keeping skills. “Not only did this help me grow as a unique person on my path of self-discovery, I received an over 75% aggregate for all three years of study which enabled me to qualify for a 100% fee remission for second and third year,” she said.

Niekerk is always striving to do her best having received many prestigious awards within the Consumer Sciences: Food and Nutrition department; namely for the Clarice King award for Best Food Skills in first year, first in Food Styling in third year, first prize for McCain foods recipe development project, first prize for McCain Foods Recipe Development Food Styling, first in Food Communication III in third year and lastly second place for best aggregate for the three overall years.

Her choice in such a field of study was due to the fact that she had previously trained at a culinary institution, therefore a qualification in professional cookery and a few years of work experience was a great foot in the door.
“I felt the desire to expand my culinary knowledge, broaden my boundaries of what I am capable of. After in-depth research into what the Consumer Science: Food and Nutrition course entailed, I knew that there was nothing more that I wanted than to further my education and training within this Faculty of Applied Sciences,” she said.

Niekerk also added that without the continuous support that she had received from her academic lecturers within the department, adding that each lecturer shared their knowledge and experience and were always happy to assist her when she required their help.
Currently, Niekerk is working at Unilever Food Solutions. After her in-service training last year, her contract was extended. She hopes to continue her studies and feels privileged to have been able to attend the Durban University of Technology and say she had excelled in her studies.
“I am confident that if a student can push their boundaries with the right attitude and mind set – they too can achieve their goals and ambitions,” she said.

Pictured: Jenna Van Niekerk

Waheeda Peters

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