Thabani Dube Waterford 2015

Thabani Dube: Country of origin: Zimbabwe

I have only been attending this school for about two months now and I am amazed at the experience it has been. I have developed a new international mentality of sorts by meeting many people from all over the world. The academic program is quite intense and broad. I have learnt a lot of new things already.

Now that I have a great opportunity to archive very great, I am very happy and grateful for all your support. It has a great impact on my life as a whole.

Yours sincerely

Thabani Dube

When Thabani got the news that he was coming to Waterford Kamhlaba, in a country he had only heard about, he couldn’t contain his excitement. Before coming to Waterford he knew very little about the school. A UWC Atlantic College alumnus who lived in his neighbourhood had heard about his excellent high school results (which were the best in his district) and told him about UWC, and further encouraged him to apply. “He actually gave me the application details, and I applied.” Despite his little knowledge about both the school and country when he set of from his native Zimbabwe, he was pleasantly surprised when he settled here. The place is marvelous, and the cultures very rich. “Waterford has been more than what I expected – different from my previous school and very beautiful. I like the school a lot and I have met a lot of people from different countries, which is a great experience for me. First of all is the fact that it is a UWC school and unlike many other schools in Zimbabwe, it is very liberal. You are free to do almost anything and learn to be responsible. Waterford allows you to be creative enough and has the resources which allow you to do what you have always wanted to-maybe play some music instrument, dance, sing, do drama, make up a community service or club freely,” says Thabani.

Friendships are an integral part of student life here, and Thabani is no exception. “I have met really wonderful people here, and they have become important to me, it feels like they will be there t forever. Within a few weeks I managed to make very good friendships which help me in all sorts of ways. It’s not all about social relationships but we get involved in many activities we plan and do together. It helps me understand how certain people think because of their cultural background and where they come from. It helps me know more about countries I’ve never properly understood or cared about (or even heard about). It generally develops an international kind of mindset in me. The main friends I have made are from Portugal, the USA, Chile, Spain and Swaziland.

Thabani is the second born in a family of five. His family lives in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. His mother, a Ukrainian national, is unemployed while his father, a native Zimbabwean works at the local government hospital as a doctor. In a country where the economy is really struggling to sustain particularly its civil service, a doctor in Zimbabwe does not earn much and does not boast the profile of his peers anywhere else in the southern African region. His modest income barely supports the family of five, but cannot sustain Thabani’s wish to pursue an education which offers sciences. The latter was not available where he lived and an alternative away from home the family could not afford. The opportunity to come to WK, for which the school pledged support because of this exceptional situation, is for him a prayer answered

He is a bright young man, who oozes confidence and optimism about his future prospects in the aerospace, a career he hopes to pursue after completing his studies. A patriot, Thabani hopes to return to Zimbabwe, but only if his country would have a job for him in the otherwise very small aviation industry.