The Department of Business Management was represented by Ms Kimberley Welsh, who received one of four Vice-Chancellor Awards. She was presented with the best postgraduate award in Social Sciences and Humanities, with an average of 93% for her Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Planning. Kimberley acknowledged that hard work pays off, saying ‘I honestly did not expect to receive anything. I am really proud of my achievement because I feel that I worked hard during my final year. It is just really cool to have received some recognition and reassurance that my hard work paid off.'
Sometimes we may overlook our accomplishments and the people that helped us achieve them. Kimberley expressed her gratitude for the role that her family has played in supporting her through the difficult times, particularly in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic and its related challenges. She also made sure to acknowledge and thank her lecturers, for helping her through varsity life and making her studies enjoyable, as well as her previous boss, who taught her a lot in the real world of work. Kimberley concluded her vote of thanks by saying, ‘Finally, I want to say thanks to my two Courtneys (my two best friends through varsity) - without them to vent to and laugh with I don't think I would have done nearly as well. They were my team members for all our group activities and some of my favourite memories come from these group meetings!'
What makes Kimberley’s achievement even more impressive, is that she began working part-time at a small independent financial planning firm during her postgraduate year. ‘I really learnt so much during that time from my boss, and being in the industry while studying really helped me a lot and proved to me once more that I really was in the right field.' Since graduating, she has begun working for a different financial planning firm – well on her way to becoming a budding financial planner. ‘My goal is to grow in the firm and grow as an individual. I would like to become a Certified Financial Planner and try make a difference in as many people's lives as possible. I truly believe I can help people in this industry and really make a difference in the lives of South Africans in a financial context, by educating them and improving the overall level of financial literacy in the country.’
We would like to congratulate Kimberley on this fantastic achievement and wish her well with the rest of her promising career in the financial planning industry!
Link to the awards ceremony:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4028CKVm88&t=4s
