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BUSINESS NEWS - Oakhill School’s ethos of "the joy of learning" is evident not only in its proven track record of a holistic and well-rounded education of students, but also among school leavers as they continue with much enthusiasm and success in their chosen fields.
Oakhill’s excellence, since its inception, spreads far and wide, with students encouraged to continue with their life-long learning whether in South Africa or overseas.
Past students are found across the globe, studying in the USA, England, Scotland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium and Italy, amongst several other countries.
Oakhill caught up with some recent international Old Oaks students, leading up to an Alumni reunion weekend in late August.
Going places in the USA
Rebekah Utian (Matric 2017) started her journey in the USA in 2018, when awarded a prestigious art scholarship at Kenyon College, Ohio, where she graduated with a BA in Art History and Studio Art.
Last month, Rebekah graduated with a Masters, summa cum laude, with a perfect 4.0 GPA in Art History and a Graduate certificate in Public Humanities and Civic Engagement, at Case Western Reserve University in the USA.
Awarded the 2024 Cleveland Foundation Public Service Fellowship, known to immerse talented, emerging leaders from across the country in the public sector, next Rebekah will develop the Arts and Humanities programme in Cleveland.
Having matriculated last year, Alexander Leiar (Matric 2023) is furthering his studies in the USA with a degree in Business Management at the University of Arizona from September 2024.
Other than his excellent national swimming accolades in South Africa, Alex's outstanding academics have earned him the Global Wildcat Award, an annual, renewable scholarship. Alexander will complete Summer School from June at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Sciences across the UK
Bergen Pentz (Matric 2017) graduated from the University of St Andrews in Scotland with a first class BSc (Hons) Sustainable Development and Management degree. Bergen made the Dean's List of Academic Excellence in her third and fourth years of university.
Bergen moved to Glasgow where she joined the graduate scheme in a renewable energy company, completing four different placements across the business over two years.
Bergen will soon be taking up a permanent position once the final placement is complete.
Now in her third year at the University of Southampton in England, Tessa Micic (Matric 2020) is studying for a BSc in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science.
Continuing with her passion for music, highly skilled Tessa is also a member of Southampton Symphony Orchestra as well as keeping up her tennis expertise, playing for the University Tennis Team.
Italian design
After receiving an undergraduate scholarship to Accademia Italiana, in Florence, Erin de Villiers (Matric 2022) moved to Italy last year to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Fashion Design.
The awarding of her scholarship was based on her portfolio of Oakhill Matric Art from which she was the recipient of the Pierre Dingley Art Award.
Erin is appreciating living and studying abroad in a city surrounded by a rich history of culture and creativity.
Innovation in the Netherlands
Madison Turner (Matric 2020) is studying for an International Bachelor of Art and Culture Studies at the Erasmus University of Rotterdam and is currently busy with her internship at 1646 Experimental Art Space in The Hague, as part of the degree programme.
From August, Madison will be doing a semester abroad at the University of Monterrey in Mexico and will then return to Rotterdam in February 2025 to finish her last year of degree and thesis.
Nate Macdonald (Matric 2021) moved to the Netherlands in 2023 to obtain a BSc Data Science and AI at the Institute of Data Science at the University of Maastricht where he is currently enjoying his second year of studies, loving the town and his course, and is planning on continuing his studies with a Masters and Phd in this field.
Expertise in Belgium
Liam Hendrickx (Matric 2020) is studying for an Honours Degree in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Electronics, at Katholieke Universiteit van Leuven in Belgium, ranked as one of the top Engineering Departments in Europe. Achieving distinctions in a variety of subjects, Liam has been selected to tutor young students in the department.
Liam’s robotics and AI innovation gadget has also recently been chosen as representative of the level of innovation of the engineering students at KU.
There are many other wonderful stories of students studying, working and traveling while following their dreams throughout South Africa and across the world.
With their first Matric class of 1994, marking their 30th anniversary this year, Oakhill looks forward to catching up with these Alumni and the many others that followed in their footsteps at the upcoming Old Oaks Reunion weekend from 23-25 August 2024. For more details see Oakhill’s website and social media pages.
Oakhill looks forward to hearing from Old Oaks as they continue the joy of learning, for life!
These past years have been witness to many moments where I can attribute Oakhill experiences as the reasons why I flourish in certain challenges.
I will always remain thankful for Oakhill’s unique education and all that it prepared me for.
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