Arno van Rooy is all smiles on his graduation day
Sometimes when you read an article about Unisa in the newspaper, it has negative connotations, with a long list of complaints. But for students such as Arno van Rooy, Unisa is a great university, with staff who go out of their way to ensure the success of their students.
Arno, a project engineer with Outotec sub-Saharan Africa, felt it was important to share this feeling with other Unisa students, as well as staff and the public, because through the assistance of staff from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, who were always willing to help, he was enabled to change his future for the better.
“I would like to thank Unisa, especially the Department of Mechanical Engineering for the opportunity to study and for their help with my achievements. I received the Meritorious Student Award for my diploma, completed 2010, which was awarded by the South African Institution of Mechanical Engineering. This is why I felt it important to thank all Unisa personnel who were involved in obtaining my qualification.”
Arno, the eldest of four children from a farm in the Free State, said he has no regrets about choosing Unisa to further his studies. “I choose to study at Unisa because it is an excellent long-distance university with a good reputation, which, I realised, was what I needed. Unisa was indeed the correct choice and the exposure it provided me with during my studies, prepared me for a career in mechanical engineering. The lecturers are the also best and…I just love mechanical engineering at Unisa.”
The 29-year-old says that because of his wonderful experience with Unisa, he is now doing his BTech through the university. “What a great university with great opportunities! The lecturers at Unisa are highly educated people with a passion for the academic field. It is more difficult to study on your own but with the lecturers only an email away it makes it definitely easier and worthwhile.”
Arno says he loves the passion he has seen at Unisa. “Robert Mashilo (Strength of material) and Kaniki Tswibwabwa (Thermodynamics) are my favourite lecturers because, through them, I have experienced passion. The other lecturers were also very helpful. Once you speak to them, you immediately get the feeling that they understand how it is to study part time and hence they always assist. I really got an ‘it’s ok’ feeling when I talked with them … The secretary, Nellie Nkambule, has also been very helpful over the past years with any administrative issues.”
He says students definitely need a good support structure to balance their studies and work. “I’m surrounded by great supportive people and the key is that I am not wasting my personal time or my employer’s time. I need to pass in order to justify the personal and work time that I spend on studies and also to apply the knowledge gained with studies in my working environment for my employer to benefit from the investment … I’m very grateful for all the support and I can only thank God and my wonderful wife!”
*Source: Inspired Vol 7, No 2; November 2011
