Abe Bailey Bursary for SAWIP Alum

I feel humbled, blessed and proud to have been chosen as one of Stellenbosch
University's two Abe Bailey fellows for 2011.

The current Stellenbosch University SRC president and I join the ranks of incredible alumni and remarkable South Africans as recipients of this award.

I sincerely believe that much like SAWIP, this program with
its rich history and noble objectives, will help mould and shape the leader I am on the
path to becoming. I have learned so much from my peers and fellow SAWIPers and I
am excited to share these lessons and knowledge with my fellow Abes. I hope to engage
and challenge the 18 other students on the tour to answer one simple question: how am
I going to find my place as part of the solution to our society's challenges?

Coming from a family where neither of my parents hold a valid South African passport, and never have, I realize now more than ever that education really is the key to the success in the new South Africa. As fortunate as my parents were to have attended university when they were my age, it is now my turn and my time to make the most of every opportunity, experience and adventure available to me. The Abe Bailey Travel Bursary program is one of the most prestigious in the country and just as much as I will discover new things about myself and develop my leadership skills, I hope to add value to the Abe Bailey Travel Bursary program as an inspired, patriotic, young South African with a different perspective garnered from my experiences of community service in Washington DC, a strong belief in the value of servant leadership and the maturity that comes from working with some of South Africa's brightest young leaders.

Ziyanda Stuurman (Alum 2009)