A 28-year-old African lady, Nomfundo Mahlangeni, has become a scholar in Chemistry after bagging 4 degrees in Chemistry and Applied Chemistry.
Nomfundo began her higher education journey in 2007, and after seven years of hard work and dedication, she successfully attained the highest academic qualification possible.
She bagged two Bachelor’s Degrees in Applied Chemistry, one of them an honors degree at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban in South Africa.Â
Immediately after his Bachelor’s Degree, Nomfundo proceeded to earn a Master’s degree in Environmental Chemistry and Natural Products and subsequently earned a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Applied Chemistry, all at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
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Nevertheless, Nomfundo’s achievement of earning all these academic qualifications was rooted in her determination, despite facing numerous challenges during her upbringing.
She was raised by a single mother after her father died in a village in KwaZulu-Natal according to sabc news. Because of this, their situation at home was difficult but she was determined to excel in her academics to assist her family.
“I took it upon myself to study and actually uplift my family. I started being interested in science at Grade 8 and Chemistry was the most awesome part of science for me,” she said.
Nomfundo’s supervisor, Dr Roshila Moodley described her as a humble student who is impressive and intelligent.”Actually, the first time I really realized how impressive she was, was when she presented herself on the Honours project.
”She then continued to do her Masters Degree with us; passed with cum laude. She continued with her PhD under my supervision and Professor Hanagadas,” Nomfundo added.
Nomfundo’s mother, 67-year-old Thulisile, said she could not hold back her tears of joy on receiving the news that her youngest daughter had graduated with a PhD. She added that she is proud of how much she has achieved despite their hardship.
“She is a hard-working child. She is quiet. She obeys everybody. She is a very good child. I am very proud of her. I was shocked because I didn’t expect that she had received the PhD degree. It was too much for me,” Thulisile said.
”I felt like crying because of happiness. In the beginning it was hard because I had to buy food for her, clothes and the money was not enough,” she added,
Nomfundo mentioned that she is currently doing a post-doctorate at the University of KwaZulu-Natal which focuses on technology combined with traditional medicine.
She stated that she has not decided yet whether she wants to go into academia or go to industry and work.
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