On Saturday October 13th Ann and I had the pleasure of attending the annual awards ceremony at Makupula High School. Learners in grades 8th through 11th were recognized. We were entertained by an outstanding student choir performing traditional African tunes and dance numbers. The guest speaker was Yamkela Liwani, a 2013 graduate of Makupula who went on to complete college with 2 degrees and a Masters in Accounting. She is currently an accountant employed by Woolworths Corporation in Cape Town. She gave an incredibly motivating talk detailing the challenges she faced growing up in the Township, living in an area without electricity. She talked about having to study by candlelight and often came to school on weekends just so she could study in safety and with electricity. Her talk seemed to resonate to learners, many of whom struggle in similar surroundings of poverty, crime and drugs. We have asked her to be one of our mentors and believe she will be a tremendous asset to our children. Awards were then presented with 3 of our Cape Scholars taking top honors in their subjects. Abongile was the top student in the eleventh grade and we are extremely proud of the academic and social progress he has made over the last two years. We believe he will thrive in his tertiary studies. The other top learners in the 11th grade were also Cape Scholars, they were Liyabona and Sinazo. Congratulations to all!
