Global South Africans

When my colleague Simon Barber visited South Africa in October, he met with some of our potential partners, including Wits’ Business School Dean, Professor Ncube and Charisse Drobis, director of WBS’ International Office. One of the ways they envisaged the GSA network helping was to support South African students in co-research opportunities and “cyber mentorship” exchanges . So, for example, if one of our members was working on an immunology research project they might want to bring in a South African student to assist in that research.

This morning I was presented with an opportunity to personally test the waters of a “cyber mentorship” when Molly Blank, director of “Testing Hope”, a film detailing the struggles of students in Nyanga township in passing their matric, sent me an update on the students’ continued challenges in being accepted into tertiary institutions. One of the students is hoping to pass the entrance exam to be accepted into law school. Using my skills as a South African lawyer I am going to help her by reviewing her draft submission and guiding (or mentoring) her to submit a piece that will display legal reasoning.

We will keep members posted as similar opportunities develop. This is my first posting on this site as GSA’s US Manager. Let me what an enormous pleasure it is to speak to fellow South Africans living abroad on a daily basis.

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