Before Eurika Mogane qualified as a medical specialist, the passionate South African had to resort to being an office cleaner just to make ends meet. This is her inspirational story of making her dreams a reality!
Mpumalanga, South Africa (10 November 2020) – Dr Eurika Mogane (DMedSc) is originally from Mpumalanga, South Africa, and is known for her passion for people and the medical field.
She is well known for her activities in the Cancer Association of South Africa and is now continuing her dreams in Healthcare – and is representing the Mpumalanga region as a Golden Key International Honorary Member as an Alumni at the University of Pretoria but she didn’t always have it easy.
Dr Mogane acquired her certification in a very unconventional way.
She shares her story with many on her social media accounts of how she was a University drop-out because her parents could not afford to per for her studies in BSc Medical Sciences.
The dedicated student started studying at Tuks in 2010 but had to drop out of school in 2012 to help her single father, Mr Lekios Mogane, who worked as a taxi driver.
“I came back home and was broken. I had to resort to being an office cleaner at a company in Nelspruit, just to make ends meet – while I pushed my studies on the side.
I really wanted to be in the medical field but was not able to secure even an NSFAS loan for support.”
Dr Mogane saved and worked where she could to earn money to get back into her studies. She shares how she had to resort to braiding the other student’s hair so that she could have extra money textbooks that were there too.
But even though she could not afford medical school, she did not give up studying.
In 2013, she completed a Community Journalism qualification with the University of South Africa and then also became a Merit Achiever at the Unigrad College after completing her National Diploma in Business Management & Entrepreneurship, top of her class.
“There were days where I would have to walk over 50km to go to the Campus because we had to use our own fare to be there. I also had Pastor Ncedekile Mahlalela helping me every now and then travel from Nelspruit to Pretoria to attend school – an honour and appreciation which I am still grateful for to this day.”
Years later, she managed to complete her certification as a Medical Specialist with John Hopkins Unversity and was nominated as an Honorary Alumni with the Golden Key International Honours Society for the year 2020.
She completed a Neuroscience studies in 2020 with Duke University and also holds a number of Competency Diplomas and Certificates in Sports Medicine, Nutrition, and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.
“The Golden Key Society is the world’s largest collegiate honour society for graduate and undergraduate students and has strong relationships with over 400 universities around the world. Golden Key is built on the pillars of academics, leadership, and service, and our chapters offer timely support.
Members qualify when they are at the top 15% of their class and are given access to a wide range of rewards, scholarships, travel, and study abroad opportunities – which I took part in to finish my studies.”
“My spiritual father, Apostle Peter Jones, has played a huge role in me being where I am today. The love and patience from my father have also been such a major push for me to keep going no matter what. My siblings remind me to never give up and to set a much-needed example. I am thankful for being able to represent Mpumalanga Internationally.”
Her continued learning journey both inside and outside of the lecture room has earned her a spot as a Brand Ambassador for Alison, which is one of the world’s largest free learning platforms for education and skills training.
She has since encouraged other young individuals to continue grooming their skills even if they are not able to attend classes.
“The University of South Africa has also been a place where I am able to enhance my Biomedical Sciences studies – which are surely coming in handy right now.
I am now a Medical Nutritional Therapist. We instruct individuals to use nutrient-dense items to help them with reducing risks or lowering complications of existing diseases.
“My journey has never been an easy one, but I am so thankful that I was able to represent South Africa at such a highly esteemed platform. I have also officially been signed up as a Governance Volunteer for the South African Red Cross Society in Mpumalanga – of which I look forward to making a difference with.”
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