Given Sandamela has earned the opportunity of a lifetime after receiving a full scholarship to a top school in the United States.
Mpumalanga, South Africa – Given Sandamela is a Grade 11 student at Lugebhuta High School in the Nkomazi region of Mpumalanga, South Africa where he currently lives with his mother, father, and sister. This year (2019), Given has been accepted to complete his International Baccalaureate (IB) at the prestigious United World College USA in Montezuma, New Mexico on a full scholarship.
In Grade 9, Given was accepted into the rigorous afterschool youth mentorship program, Imagine Scholar, where he cultivated his passions for mathematics and environmental sustainability. Imagine Scholar challenges high-aptitude, low-income youth to explore the boundaries of their potential, equipping them with a 21st-Century toolkit to excel in a dynamic world.
Given has completed entrepreneurial projects, including the Nkomazi Tree Project which aims to plant trees in the region while educating the local community about the effects of climate change, and the actions they can take to reduce their impact. As a part of Imagine Scholar’s “Green Team”, Given has also worked with his peers to solve local environmental issues such as creating compost safely, planting organic flower and vegetable gardens, and planting 27 trees at a local primary school.
Poised to embark on the next chapter of his personal and educational journey, Given comments,
“I think going to UWC will challenge me in various aspects of life that will blossom to a breakthrough of growth. I will be challenged academically which is expected, but I will grow and develop non-academically as well, which certainly excites me.”
UWC-USA compliments academic rigour with diversity to catalyse a new generation of culturally literate change makers. Situated on the fringes of the Santa Fe National Forest, the school’s idyllic 200-acre campus inspires respect for nature and a sense of self-reflection necessary for young leaders to embody UWC-USA’s ethos of peaceful living and to promote a sustainable future for all.
Imagine Scholar is a registered non-profit in the US and South Africa equipping high school learners in the Nkomazi with the tools they need to become the entrepreneurs, social leaders, and high-impact employees that South Africa needs. Support our organisation or get in touch to learn more about hiring our graduates for internships, learnerships, and full-time employment.