DSP Jahrbuch 2016

ALUMNI
Bianca Gevers
Engineering student ranked
among top ten in SA at
GradStar awards
Paul Ssali, a Mechanical Engineering
student in the Faculty of Enginee
ring, Built Environment and
Information Technology at the University of Pretoria, was ranked
among the top ten students in South Africa during the Gradstar
awards ceremony which took place on 27
September 2016. Each September, Black-
Bark Productions and GradConnection,
in partnership with key role-players, employers
and universities, hold this national
competition to recognise students who
show potential as South Africa‘s future
leaders.
The GradStar programme selects the top
100 university students from across South
Africa and connect them with poten tial
employers, stakeholders, graduate recruitment
agencies and business mentors who
will assist them in getting ready for the
workplace. In order to be awarded a place in
the Top 100, candidates need to survive four rounds of eliminations.
Workshops with potential employers form part of the judging
process. The ten top candidates are selected on the day of the main
event after a final round of assessment.
Giles Harmse, a second-year Mechanical Engineering student at
UP, and Bianca Gevers, a final-year Chemical Engineering student,
were among the top 100 students recognised as future leaders in
South Africa.
The Faculty is proud to be associated with these students who
will make a difference in the world through innovative leadership.
Alexander Hollender
Zur Zeit studiert Alexander Hollender
Tiermedizin an der Universität von
Pretoria. Er hat bereits drei Jahre seines
Studiums erfolgreich bewältigt. Seit
letztem Jahr (2015) ist er wegen seiner
akademischen Leis tungen Mitglied der
,,Golden Key Society”.
Außerdem ist er auch in dem
,,Onderste poort veterinary and paraveterinary
student council”. Dieses
Komitee repräsentiert die Studenten
der tiermedizinischen Fakultät und der
Universität von Pretoria und ist unter anderem für die Leitung der
Fakultät ver ant wortlich. Das schließt das Organisieren von ,,social
events” und Ansagen machen ein. Alexander ist vor allem für das
,,infor ma tion management” verantwortlich.
Golden Key Society 2015
Letztes Jahr wurden folgende Altschüler des Abijahrganges 2013
zur Golden Key Society eingeladen.
• Alexander Hollender
• Tanja Haar
• Christine Baggeroehr
• Lisa Wiswe
Zaheera Layloo
My name is Zaheera Layloo and I was in matric at the DSP 10 years
ago this year. Like many of you right now, I wasn’t quite sure of what
I was going to study. All I knew was I wanted to go to the University
of Pretoria. I knew I liked chemistry but loved economics so I applied
for chemistry, even if my first choice was economics.
So at the end of my matric year I finally decided on a Bcom degree
in Economics. When I got to University economics was much more
complicated than what I had learned in Mr Mashazi’s class, but it
was extremely fascinating.
I completed my degree and stayed on for Honours in Economics,
and in my honours year I had the opportunity to go the United
States on an exchange program at Fordham University in New York
City. I was there for 6 weeks and completed a certificate in emerging
markets.
After the Honours degree, I started working at the South African
Revenue Services as a Graduate Economist and stayed there for
almost 2 years. While working, I received a Fulbright scholarship to
complete my Master’s degree at Fordham University in New York
City.
I was in New York for 2 years and then came back to South Africa
at the end of 2013 and started job hunting. I started working for
the Public Investment Corporation as an Investment Analyst. The
PIC invests funds on behalf of public sector entities, such as the
Government Employee Pension Fund. It is the largest asset manager
in Africa managing over R1.8 trillion in assets. It has a division that
focuses on developmental investing - investments that will make
a difference, and that is why I decided to join the PIC, because I
wanted to use my degree to improve the lives of others.
My job entails identifying whether a particular investment
opportunity is viable. Thus, a potential client who needs funding
will send me information on their company; they will send company
background information, financial information etc. I will then
analyse all of the information based on our criteria - whether the
company’s reputation is intact, if they aremaking money, if they
are creating jobs and what social impact they have. Based on that
initial information we will then decide to investigate the company
extensively and then we present our findings to the executive
committee. Finally, an investment committee decides whether to
invest in the company or not.
I must say I wasn’t really sure what an investment analyst does,
so I spoke to -Professors at Fordham University. I also did my own
research to ascertain what exactly it is I would be doing. I spoke to
people who I knew worked in the finance/investment profession
and made sure I got tips on everything from how to dress for my
interview to how to conduct myself in the work place. So, there
were many people who helped me along the way. This made me
realise that one should never ever be afraid to ask for help.
I know many of you have heard that school doesn’t really prepare
you for real life or that you are never going to work in the field you
studied, but that’s not necessarily true. As a graduate economist
at SARS I stood out, because my schooling at the German School
set me apart from my peers, and because I had proficiency with
Computers. My English language skills were also a key component,
as writing reports was and still is critical is for my current job. So -
high school is very important, as it is a stepping stone for University
and ultimately your career.
Zaheera Layloo
160 DSP Jahrbuch 2016