Rose-Mary Haufiku
Stadio Namibia Class of 2022 cum laude student, Amanda du Plessis says being a top student is a privilege and thanked God for the opportunity.
“It is the greatest feeling ever; a feeling that hard work really pay off,” she told Youth Corner after graduating recently.
The top business management student was part of 358 students honoured during Stadio Namibia Higher Education institution’s first face-to-face graduation.
Du Plessis said challenges always come with everything one tries to accomplish, but there’s one verse taken from the book of Philippians 4:13 that keeps her going. It reads: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”.
“I also had a good support system; my husband and kids, family and friends. Without them, I couldn’t have accomplished all this,” she said.
Her advice to the young ones is that if she could do it, so can they, adding: “Anything is possible in life if you just work hard and believe in yourself,” she propounded.
The senior billing officer at Erongo Red Walvis Bay’s goals are “to be open-minded to any new opportunities, learn new things, and live according to my values, while setting a good example and being a role model for my children”.
Du Plessis (38) wants to continue studying at Stadio, because she believes it’s one of the best institutions in the country, and would recommend it to anyone for further education.
The graduation ceremony last week signalled new beginnings for Stadio Namibia, formerly known as Southern Business School (SBS).
SBS was established in 1996 with only 26 students and one qualification, which is the diploma in management. In 2020, the school was expanded into Stadio Namibia and now has close to 20 000 registered students. It offers 16 qualifications, ranging from certificates all the way to doctorates.
Executive head at Stadio Higher Education Chariska Knoetze said during the graduation that it was an exciting time becoming Stadio.
“There will be many benefits and state of the art support for our students,” she said.
Knoetze said Stadio is able to offer their students a comprehensive experience, offering distant learning as well as contact learning.
In addition to the three schools people are familiar with, which are the school of administration and management, the school of policing and law enforcement, and the school of law, Stadio now has the schools of commerce; information technology; fashion and design; and education, which is the fastest-growing school.
“Coming soon, we’ll be adding the school of engineering, the school of social sciences, and the school of architecture,” she added.
Last year, Stadio announced that since it is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, students will receive their shares of Stadio upon their graduation, as well as access to a share portfolio, managed by Investec Share Plan Services (Investec).